August 26/12 13:18 pm - UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships: Day 5 report and results

Posted by Editoress on 08/26/12
 

Dynamic Russian sprinter Daria Shmeleva finished the UCI Junior Track World Championships as she started, with a world record at Invercargill, New Zealand on Sunday.

The 18 year old Shmeleva claimed her fourth gold medal of the championships in winning the women’s 500m time trial in 34.753 seconds, which broke the world record she set at the recent European Championships by 0.1 seconds.

This followed her gold medal performances in the Keirin, Sprint and Team Sprint with Lidia Pluzhnikova, who finished second in the time trial.

She finished with one more gold medal than the three to outstanding Australian prospect Taylah Jennings, who won all six disciplines on the way to winning the Omnium, along with the Team Pursuit and Points race.

“I am very happy with that ride. I had a world record last month and it was very good to go faster today especially as this was the last day. It was a very good championship and it was such a long way to come that it was more special. I like the track very much,” said Shmelev.

Australia finished on top of the medal table with 16 medals, including nine gold medals. They won two on the final day with outstanding sprinter Jacob Schmid adding the keirin title to the sprint gold medal earlier in the championships.

He outclassed compatriot Emerson Harwood in the final with Jakub Vyvoda (CZE) in third.

“Really ecstatic, it’s unbelievable I can’t have imagined anything going better than it has,” Schmid said.  “Our work ethic, our professionalism and our dedication with the work hours we put in is the key to our performances this week.”

The other victory went to 16 year old Kelsey Robson, who blitzed her way around the track to win the women’s Individual Pursuit in a slick 2:23.573, a faction slower than her top qualifying performance.

Great Britain’s Elinor Barker was more than two seconds back in second with Australia’s Georgia Baker third.

“It’s pretty incredible, coming into it I didn’t really expect too much being in my first World Championships. I think there was basically no pressure on me because I have another year in this category, so to just come out with the win is so good. It’s pretty unreal,” said Robson.

The championships wound up with a brilliant performance from the Colombian pairing of Fernando Gaviria Rendon and Jordan Parras Arias, who withstood a fierce and exciting men’s 30 kilometre Madison, winning the gold medal from Belgium and a gallant New Zealand, with Dylan Kennett recovering from a heavy crash to pick up his fourth medal.

Full results from the fifth and final day of racing in New Zealand