WomensCycling.net - race coverage, Melbourne World Cup Track

In the race for Bronze, Willy Kanis (NED), pushed Kaarle McCulloch (AUS/JAYCO) in the first race. McCulloch forced Kanis high in the second race to give herself some space and it paid off. McCulloch crossed the line clearly ahead of Kanis. In the final match up, MCCulloch took the front for the first lap. MCCulloch pushed Kanis up the banking, however at the bell, Kanis managed to switch inside and win with a clear gap ahead of McCulloch.

Semi-Finals

Shuang Guo (CHN) took the first of the races against Kaarle McCulloch (AUS?JAYCO)

Olympic silver medallist Anna Meares took the first of the races against Willy Kanis (NED). Meares rounded the final bend to win the second.

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Post Race Comments

Anna Meares (AUS) was very happy with her gold medal ride,

“I am back in town," said Meares.

Meares faced China's Shuang Guo in the gold medal decider and downed her rival in two straight heats. Guo and Meares have a history after the Chinese rider was relegated in the semi final of the sprint at the Beijing Olympic Games after a physical encounter with Meares.

After posting the morning’s third fastest qualifying time, Meares made her way through to the final with ease. Once there she controlled the first heat from start to finish and despite falling behind Guo early in the second, a surge on the back straight gave the Queenslander the advantage and she edged Guo on the line to take the gold medal.

“The second heat didn’t go to plan as I actually wanted to lead that one how I did the first one.... but the good thing was I reacted straight away, I didn’t hesitate to change plans and that’s what is really important in the sprint.I really didn’t want to go to three rounds so I was like ‘just go!’.The Beijing semifinal was hard, that was hard as well and I think a lot of people ask questions, ‘if it wasn’t for the disqualification, would I have got through to that final,’ well I deserve that final, like tonight I deserve that gold, so I am really stoked.”

Shuang Guo (CHN) was a little disappointed to have lost in the final but full of praise for the victor. "Anna Meares did a good job. She is very strong, the standard of sprinters is getting so high now, everyone is pushing each other to be better. Especially here in Australia. It's not just Anna [Meares] and Kaarle [McCulloch] but Emily Rosemond now too." said Guo.

Willy Kanis (NED) had to compete against the home country rider Kaarle McCulloch for bronze. It went to three races before Kanis could secure the bronze medal. "That was a very tough race. I am only just starting to get some form back. I need to do a lot more work, then hopefully I will be ready for Worlds," said Kanis.

"The training for this season has been very hard. We had no trainer so we had to look after ourselves for a long time. We tried a few things that did not work, but I think I am starting to get back my form, so I am happy," added Kanis.

In addition to the team sprint, Kanis will be taking part in the team pursuit for some extra track time and possible UCI points.

Kaarle McCulloch (AUS/JAYCO) was a very disappointed not to have a medal for her efforts. "That was a really tough series of races," said McCulloch. "Willy is a tough opponent. I am glad that I managed to take one race off her. I am really happy with my form and I believe i can go much faster," added McCulloch.

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Results

Final

Position	Name		Country/Team	Time	Time	Time
Gold	MEARES	Anna	AUS	11.646	11.782
Silver	GUO	Shuang	CHN
Bronze	KANIS	Willy	NED	11.772		11.800
4	MCCULLOCH	Kaarle	JAY		12.069

5	GONG	Jinjie	CHN
6	MUCHE	Christin	GER
7	HIJGENAAR	Yvonne	NED
8	SANCHEZ	Clara	FRA
9	SHULIKA	Lyubov	UKR
10	ROSEMOND	Emily	AUS
11	VARNISH	Jessica	GBR
12	CLAIR	Sandie	FRA
13	STRELTSOVA	Olga	RUS
14	LEE	Wai Sze	HKG
15	PARK	Eunmi	KOR
16	MUSTAPA	Fatehah	MAS
17	EPPINGER	Apryl	PHI
18	KIM	Won Gyeong	KOR
19	MENG	Zhao Juan	HKG
20	KOUTSONIKOLI	Angeliki	GRE
21	KLAPANARA	Eleni	GRE
22	TING YING	Huang	TPE

Semi-Finals

Name		Country/Team	Time	Time
GUO	Shuang	CHN	11.643	11.913
MCCULLOCH	Kaarle	JAY
MEARES	Anna	AUS	11.836	11.858
KANIS	Willy	NED

World Cup Standings

Position	Name		Country/Team	Manchester	Melbourne	Total
1	GUO	Shuang	CHN	10	10	20
2	MEARES	Anna	AUS	6	12	18
3	PENDLETON	Victoria	SKY	12	12	24
4	KANIS	Willy	NED	4	8	12
5	GONG	Jinjie	CHN	3	6	9
6	KRUPECKAITE	Simona	LTU	8	8	16
7	MCCULLOCH	Kaarle	JAY	7	7	14
8	PANARINA	Olga	BLR	7	7	14
9	MUCHE	Christin	GER	5	5	10
10	WELTE	Miriam	GER	5	5	10
11	HIJGENAAR	Yvonne	NED	4	4	8
12	SANCHEZ	Clara	FRA	3	3	6
13	SHULIKA	Lyubov	UKR	2	2	4
14	JAMES	Rebecca	GBR	2	2	4
15	ROSEMOND	Emily	AUS	1	1	2
16	VARNISH	Jessica	GBR	1	1	2

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