World Track Championships 2007

Palma, Majorca, Spain

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WCN quicklink >>  Day 1 - Team Sprint Qualifying     Team Sprint Final    Qualifying Photos    Finals Photos

                              Day 2 - Sprint Qualifying        Pursuit qualifying and final     Photos

                              Day 3 -  500m TT     Scratch Race   Sprint Final     Photos

                              Day 4 -  Points Race    Keirin Finals     Photos

Day 2

Sprint qualifying and rounds

Race Writeup

The first 24 out of 25 riders progressed through the first round of the sprit qualifying, with the Chinese rider Shuang Guo posting the fasted time of 11.149, averaging 64.579 over the 200m. The next two fasted were Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) in a time of 11.191 and Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain) the current World Cup champion who was close in a time of 11.194.

In the following qualification rounds, the top riders showed their form. Anna Meares (Australia) secured her place in the final 8 with a strong ride off against the German Glöss. Kristine Bayley (Australia) was bundled out after a low qualifying place put her against the 2006 silver medallist, Victoria Pendleton (GBR) in the first round who qualified for the final 8. Other notable final 8 qualifiers were, Shuang Guo (China), Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania), Natalia Tsylinskaya (Belarus), Clara Sanchez (France), and through from the repechage round Christin Muche (Germany) and Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez (Cuba).

The semi-finals ran to form with most of the favourites going through to the final 4. The exceptions were Tsylinskaya and Krupeckaite. They were knocked out by Pendleton and Guerra Rodriguez respectively in very tight run races. 

In the placings for 5-8, Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) led from the front and could not be beaten.

Anna Meares (AUS), won through to a semi final match up with fastest qualifier Shuang Guo after an action packed quarter final against Frenchwoman Clara Sanchez. Sanchez got the jump on Meares in the first of their best of three rounds. But Meares turned the tables in the second round powering around Sanchez to beat her on the line.

"There was only eight thousandths (of a second) between us in qualifying and I knew I had to give it everything in the second round and it worked to my advantage," said Meares who evened the score to set up a thrilling decider that saw Sanchez crash heavily.

"I think my heart's going more now than when I started," said Meares ten minutes after winning the deciding round with a daring dive into the sprinter's lane catching Sanchez unawares. "She left the door open with three quarters of a lap to go and I just went for it and I was pretty certain I got in the sprinter's lane first.”

"But she kept crowding me right down the back straight and I just thought 'there's nowhere I can go except into you' so I moved down a little bit to see if she would move out of the sprint lane and I think by me moving down caused her to lean on me and fall away," explained Meares. "She fell heavy and I really hope she's okay because you never wish anything like that on anyone."

Sanchez was taken to hospital but did not sustain major injuries. Meantime Meares' focus now shifts to China's Guo who defeated the Australian two heats to one in the semi-final at last month's Manchester World Cup.

"It's going to be a tough semi final but I'll take it one race at a time," said Meares. "It's never good to think too far ahead and even if I'm not going to win it I'm going to make it bloody hard for her."

1/8 Finals