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World Track Championships

Day 1 - 500m TT & Individual Pursuit

Bordeaux, France -  15 - 17 April 2006   

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Pursuit Final

Pursuiting is a strange sport, in that everything depends on the time you make in the heats to make the final. Sarah Hammer is a deserving winner of the Gold medal but you have to feel sorry for Katie Mactier, as outgoing World Champion she beat the time of the Gold medalist in her ride for Bronze against Karin Thürig (SUI). Olga Slyusareva took the silver in a strong ride showing her form for these championships. 

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Sarah Hammer on her win “I am so pleased, this is the first world title for me, and for the US since 1996, I am so happy”

Katie Mactier although pleased with her Bronze medal she was obviously disappointed too. “It’s a big dent I have to remember it for 12 months because I am no longer the World Champion. Having said tha,t it only makes me hungrier to come back next year. I was happy with my time in that it would have given me the Gold medal had I ridden the same time in the qualifying round. Tonight was a confidence ride for me; I went back to my hotel room and refocused ready for tonight”

Pursuit Heats

The stadium was cool in the morning for the heats and the qualifying heats of the Women’s Pursuit resulted in a disappointing result for the Australian Mactier, as the young American Sarah Hammer qualified first, while Mactier (AUS) missed the gold medal ride off by .12 of a second to Olga Slyusareva (RUS).

With the fastest four riders going through, the first of the heats Emma Jones (GBR) was up against the New Zealander Shanks in a re-run of the Commonwealth Games Bronze Medal ride. Jones looked comfortable and not troubled by her back injury.

Leire Olaberria Dorronsoro (SPN) posted one of the fastest times at the half way point in her heat but unfortunately could not hold it to the finish.

Larissa Kleinmann (GER) also posted a quick time at the half way point but could not hold it either.

Olga Slyusareva who looked very lean and fit, posted a second best time at the half way point and the best time a 2250m to finish in second place.

Sarah Hammer (USA) rode her best ever time to qualify in first place however it was disappointing for Kate Bates (AUS) who only managed to qualified in 11^th place out of contention for the medals.

Wendy Houvenaghel (GBR) came to the championships after a disappointing Commonwealth Games (disqualified) rode well and qualified in 5^th place.

Last to ride was the current World Champion Katie Mactier (AUS), she posted the fasted time at the half way point but unfortunately she could not hold the pace dropping to third and in place to ride off for a bronze medal against Karin Thürig (SUI)

 Qualifying Result

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Sarah Hammer chatting after her qualification now has a chance to win the first track gold for the US women since Rebecca Twigg in 1995. Hammer added that “I feel no pressure to end the drought”, however, "not this year, maybe in the future, like I said, I'm only 22. When we set out the goals at the beginning of the year, me and my boyfriend, my goal was just to get in the medal rides. Fourth place, I would have been satisfied. Although, doing my times at the World Cups, I had a little taste of it, but I never thought I'd have to think about it. But now, I guess I have to think about it!"

Hammer expects to ride much faster in the final; provided the temperature rises. "Yesterday in training, it felt like a different track. Seven degrees is what makes the difference. I definitely didn't feel fast. The track is not fast now, and when I saw my time I didn't think it would be anything spectacular."

Kate Bates did not perform as well as she would have expected today, she finished in eleventh place. Bates, always smiling despite the result "I can give you a million excuses, but I was just bad, really bad – not a little bit bad. It's disappointing, but I just didn't have anything today and I don't know why. I'll go back to my room and bang my head against a wall for a while, but I've got a couple more races [at the championships] and a lot more years, that's the nature of the sport. You have to take the lows with the highs and you learn a lot more about getting what you want and where you're at and from these moments. I've got the flu from hell, it's cold in here and we're coming off the Commonwealth Games. I sort of have to laugh, that's how bad I was. I don't think it was any one of those things. I just had a shocker!"

Bates reflected on her performance in relation to the points and scratch races coming up. "If I'd only been a couple of seconds off I'd be more worried," she said. "I always say that when I'm mediocre I get worried. I'm not super consistent: I have really good days or I have really bad days. So I'm not confident I have bad form! After the Commonwealth Games I certainly had pretty high expectations of myself [in the pursuit]. I don't think they were unrealistic, it just didn't happen. So it's back to the drawing board, we'll come back a year later and see if I can get it all together."

Karin Thürig was very happy with her ride. "For me it was my goal, just the small final. I didn't do so much, just three weeks of specific training because for me this year is also a year which my main goal is the Ironman. I just wanted to participate here, it's a great experience for Beijing, if you can race against the girls it's very important; after, you know where you stand."

Thürig was a little surprised to discover who she would be riding against for the Bronze medal, she had assumed that it would be Olga Slysureava and was comparing her splits against the Russian's when told that her opponent would be Katie Mactier her response was "Oh really? Oh, oh, really? I didn't know that, OK – against the world champion, I will just do my race. I have to do my race, and really try to fight the last k, because that's the hardest."

500m Time Trial

Natallia Tsylinskaya won the gold medal in a superb ride. Riding last she had a tough challenge to beat the time of Anna Meares (AUS) who had rode hard to jump into the lead.

Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez finished in a credible Bronze medal place.  

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Natallia Tyslinskaya (BLR) was exstactic about her win “ I am very please and happy with this medal”

Asked if it is hard riding last she added “ yes it was, I knew I had to ride well, Anna (Meares) is always strong but I started well and managed to hold it all the way”

Anna Meares (AUS) always gracious about her performance “I can’t be disappointed I have my main events to focus on so it can only get better”

Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez (CUB) at 19 has been riding since she was 11 and always dreamed of competing at the World Championships. “I am very please with my ride, to come third to the Olympic and World Champion is very exciting”

Yvonne Hijgenaar (NED) hoped to ride well at these championships and she was very disappointed with her 10^th place. “I have been riding so well in training, I did a 19.3 for the first lap two days ago, I don’t know what happened tonight, I did a 19.879. All year I have been up and down at the World Cup events but tonight I was definitely down. I can’t explain it, my legs are feeling good, I am at a loss.”