Kirsten Wild looked every inch a champion as she powered to a magnificent omnium title as young Brits Fred Wright and Matt Walls thrills home fans with a storming Madison silver at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup.
Wild and Jennifer Valente headed a supreme battle for the omnium title, and it was the Dutch legend who came out on top in a searing second day of action.
Sporting the rainbow jersey, Wild, a triple world champion from earlier this year in her home velodrome in the points, scratch and omnium events, won both scratch and elimination tussles in London’s Lee Valley Velopark to lead at halfway.
That first-session advantage was enough to set up an enthralling victory with American Valente, herself a three-time global champion in the team pursuit, finishing on 118 points to Wild’s 124.
Happy with the win in the omnium! Always nice to win in a full @LeeValleyVP but also glad I can share the work in the madison tomorrow with @AmyPieters 😂 #worldcuptrack pic.twitter.com/WUVz3MLxnf
— Kirsten Wild (@kirsten_wild) December 15, 2018
Canadian Allison Beveridge racked up 106 points as she bagged bronze, while Britain’s Elinor Barker was fifth on 85.
Casper von Folsach and Julius Johansen set out their stall early as they raced to an early lap in the Madison, and it proved to be the telling move in a typically heated and chaotic spectacle.
British crowds had spirited home hope in Walls and Wright, who rode with attacking instincts as they steadily accumulated points in the sprints, falling just shy of clawing back a late lap for what would have been a scintillating victory.
The Danes finished on 46, 16 ahead of the Brits, with Spanish pair Alberto Torres Barcelo and Sebastian Mora Vedri third on 21.
Matthijs Buchli similarly took on the field early in the final of the men’s keirin, the Dutchman holding off the challenge of Malaysian star Aziziulhasni Awang, who had to settle for silver despite pulling a wheelie on the line as he threw his bike with gusto in a final lunge for gold.
Buchli’s countryman and veteran, Theo Bos, came through at the last as he kept Brit Jack Carlin – who was racing for Team Inspired – off the podium.
The thrills keep on coming 😱😍
— Track World Cup (@TrackWorldCup) December 15, 2018
Stratospheric standards set once more at @LeeValleyVP - we've truly been treated by the finest riders on the planet 🌍
Here are the best bits from Day 2 of #TissotUCITrackWC action in London👇 pic.twitter.com/4mzLrkqddc
Australian Matt Glaetzer, a surprise absentee from the final after missing out in the second round, won his 7-12 final with relative ease.
Earlier in the day, Katy Marchant’s campaign in the women’s sprint came to an end in the quarterfinals, when she was beaten by classy Australian Stephanie Morton, who went on to power to a magnificent overall gold after holding off Emma Hinze in the final.
German Hinze is one of the most talented young riders on the planet, but Morton, a triple Commonwealth Games 2018 champion, oozed class en route to a deserved win.
Laurine van Riessen ensured another Dutch sprint medal of the day as she outpaced Ukraine’s Olena Starikova for bronze, while Marchant’s fellow Brit Lauren Bate was eliminated in the first round by Chinese Olympic team sprint champion Zhong Tianshi.
The action concludes on Sunday when the men’s sprint and omnium, and women’s keirin and Madison titles are decided.
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