BACK-TO-BACK PODIUMS FOR KELSEY MITCHELL AT THE MILTON TRACK NATIONS CUP
Milton, ON (May 14, 2022) – After claiming bronze in the Team Sprint on the first day of the Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup, Olympic medallists, Kelsey Mitchell and Lauriane Genest, continued to impress on Friday by placing second and fourth in the Sprint final. Mathias Guillemette also surprised the field during the Elimination Race, narrowly missing a spot on the podium in the final sprint to finish in 4th.
Mitchell and Genest both kicked off the day by qualifying with the first and third fastest times respectively before breezing through the 1/8 finals and putting in three solid rides to make it past the quarterfinals. Mitchell went on to qualify for the gold medal final, where she faced her fiercest opponent, Emma Hinze of Germany. Mitchell was strong but Hinze proved to be stronger, with the German winning gold and Canada claiming a silver medal, while Genest finished 4th in the bronze medal final against Martha Bayona Pineda of Colombia.
“I had some confidence going into the final round, but Hinze is a great rider, her tactics are quite strong, she can carry that speed to the line, and I just came up short,” said Mitchell. “I learn more from losing than I do from winning and dominating each round, so it’s great that I raced against her. It just motivates you that much more when it’s that close, knowing that you can beat that person so I think the races will continue to be close and hopefully I’ll take some wins.”
Canadians also competed in the Scratch and Elimination Races, where Mathias Guillemette finished with a career-best 4th, while Sarah Van Dam placed 6th. In the Individual Pursuit, Tokyo 2020 Olympian Ariane Bonhomme and Adèle Desgagnés placed 6th and 7th respectively.
“The plan was to get at the front, ride at the front for as long as I could and not save any energy for the rest,” said Guillemette. “I think it worked perfectly; unfortunately, I ran out of legs at the end but we know what to work on for next time.”
Tomorrow, Team Canada will be competing in the women’s 500m Time Trial and Omnium, as well as the men’s Individual Pursuit, Keirin and Madison. Tickets are still available to experience the event live at Milton’s Mattamy National Cycling Centre and fans across Canada can follow the evening competitions via CBC Sports.
