Bauge holds on to sprint title, Krupeckaite lands gold
COPENHAGEN: Frenchman Gregory Bauge won the sprint at the world track cycling championships for the second successive year on Sunday while Simona Krupeckaite finally landed gold after two near misses by taking the women’s keirin.
JALUR GEMILANG FLIES IN DENMARK: Malaysia’s Azizulhasni Awang (second right) in action in the men’s Keirin of the World Track Championships in Ballerup. Azizulhasni won the silver. The gold was won by Great Britain’s Chris Hoy while Germany’s Levy Maximillian took the bronze. — Bernama photo
Canada’s Tara Whitten, the gold medallist in women’s omnium on Saturday, won the women’s points race.
Australia, despite failing to win a gold for the first time in the five-day event, finished top of the medals table with six golds followed by Britain with three and the United States, France and Canada with two apiece.
Bauge, who beat former champion Chris Hoy of Britain in Saturday’s quarter-finals, won the first two heats in the best-of-three series against Australia’s Shane Perkins.
In the first race, Perkins made the break after the usual game of cat-and-mouse at the start but Bauge came around the outside and just managed to pip him on the line.
The second race was almost a replica with Bauge grinning as he closed in for the kill down the final straight.
Bauge’s compatriot Kevin Sireau beat Germany’s Robert Forstemann for the bronze.
Krupeckaite, winner of a bronze medal in the sprint and silver in the 500 metres time trial, gave Lithuania their first gold by winning the women’s keirin, an eight-lap race in which riders have to stay behind a pace-setting moped for the first two-thirds.
Krupeckaite moved to the front with two laps remaining and just managed to hold on for victory, pipping Britain’s Victoria Pendleton, winner of the women’s sprint on Saturday, by the thickness of a tyre. Olga Panarina of Belarus took the bronze.
Former cross-country skier Whitten won the points race by three points from Lauren Ellis with Tatsiana Sharakova of Belarus in third place.
Edward Clancy gave Britain their third gold medal by winning the omnium, a five-race event consisting of a 200 metres time trial, scratch, pursuit, points race and one kilometre time trial.
Clancy won both time trials and also managed top-five finishes in the pursuit and points race.
Australia’s Leigh Howard was second and Taylor Phinney of the United States was third. — Reuters