Ellesse Andrews celebrates bronze in the 1000m time trial at the UCI Track World Championships in Chile with gold medalist Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands) and Iana Burlakova.
Photo: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
Track cycling double Olympic champion Ellesse Andrews has won bronze in the women’s 1000m time trial at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Santiago, Chile.
In a historic day for cycling, for the first time the women’s event was staged over the same longer distance as the men.
“I’ve been excited for the kilo to come in for women,” said Andrews, who secured her first podium finish of the championships.
“Historically it’s only been kilo for men and 500m for women. It was cool to put down a PB and walk away with a bronze medal.”
In the final, Andrews was a fraction slower than in qualifying, clocking 1:04.909, just 0.15 seconds off silver.
Standout Dutch rider Hetty van de Wouw dominated the event to claim a trio of world titles in Chile. She also won gold in the women’s sprint and women’s team sprint.
New Zealand’s Andrews is a strong chance to add to her medal tally when she races again tomorrow in the keirin on the final day of the competition.
In other results for the New Zealand team, Bryony Botha and Sami Donnelly were seventh in the two-rider Madison.
Newcomer Prue Fowler was fifth in her debut in the 4000m individual pursuit, clocking 4:32.902 in qualifying, only two seconds outside the New Zealand record.
And New Zealand’s former world champion Campbell Stewart was 14th place in the men’s omnium.
– RNZ