Skip to main content

Cycling Archibald on podium again as track cycling world championship ends in Roubaix

KATIE ARCHIBALD won a silver medal in the points race today to go with her gold and two bronzes in the Track Cycling World Championships, held this year in the northern French cycling stronghold of Roubaix.

But British team-mate Ethan Hayter failed to add to his tally as he and partner Ollie Wood missed out on a podium spot in the men’s madison competition.

Hayter had won gold in the men’s omnium on Saturday, while Archibald had added another bronze to her collection.

Hayter, who came second in the Tour of Britain last month, continued his momentum from last week’s British National Road Championships in Lincolnshire, where he won time trial title and finished on the podium for the road race.

The 23-year-old, an Olympic silver medallist in the madison, had already collected a bronze from the team pursuit event earlier this week in Roubaix. He is the first British rider to win men’s world omnium gold since Ed Clancy in 2010.

Earlier, Archibald had teamed up with Neah Evans in the women’s madison, claiming two points in the final sprint to finish one ahead of the Italians, as Dutch pair Amy Pieters and Kirsten Wild took gold, with France’s Clara Copponi and Marie Le Net in second.

Evans said: “A worlds bronze medal is very special. It was a really hard race from the gun, a really good race. Obviously we’re slightly disappointed, but I think there’s a lot to be proud of today and some points we’re looking to improve on, and I think the future is going to be really bright for us.”

Archibald won her gold on Friday, just two weeks after claiming the European omnium title. The 27-year-old dominated from start to finish to become world champion for a second time. She won all four omnium events in a perfect all-round display, just as she had done to win the European crown in Switzerland, and was never in danger of being overhauled, taking a 23-point lead over closest challenger Elisa Balsamo into the final race. Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky claimed silver and Italy’s Balsamo went on to take bronze.

Kopecky, however, took her revenge yesterday, thwarting Archibald’s bid for gold, though the Scottish rider put in a brutal burst of speed and power at the last to leave Kirsten Wild, the veteran Dutch rider, winner of no less than eight world titles on the track and competing in her last race, trailing in her wake.

After her omnium victory, Archibald said: “I had a nice run in the Euros and the races here have gone quite differently. I’m happy I’ve succeeded in different ways.

“In some ways I made mistakes I didn’t make at the Euros, but I was just so unbelievably nervous, and it feels so much better now.”

Archibald survived a scare in the third event, staying on her bike after her wheel had been clipped from behind as two riders crashed.

It has been a memorable year for Archibald, who won Olympic gold alongside Laura Kenny in the madison event, and the Scot explained that she had benefited from some of the preparation, even though Kenny chose not to compete in the worlds.

“It’s been 10 weeks since the games now and we had a really solid games prep. Me and Laura have been working closely on our madison assault,” Archibald said. “With that, she was doing the omnium prep and I was doing a lot of that with her. We’re kind of comrades, as it were, so I’ve really benefited essentially from her Olympic prep to run into this.

“It’s not like I’m that out of touch, so I just had to tune myself up the last four weeks.”

OWNED BY OUR READERS

We're a reader-owned co-operative, which means you can become part of the paper too by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society.

 

 

Become a supporter

Fighting fund

You've Raised:£ 13,288
We need:£ 4,712
3 Days remaining
Donate today