June 8/06 7:04 am - Pan Am Championsips: Track Day 1

Posted by Editoress on 06/8/06
 

Pan Am Championships Sao Paulo, Brazil

Today's opening of the Pan-American Track Championships at Caieiras' Velodromo in Brazil was a strong day for Canada. Travis Smith takes the silver in Keirin and teammates Cam Mackinnon and Matt Barlee win gold and bronze respectively in the Men's Individual Pursuit.

Day One of the Track events began with Keirin heats and Individual Pursuit qualification.

The expected big hitters all progressed in both men's and women's competitions. In the men's 4000 metre Pursuit qualifying Colombia's Carlos Alzate set the fastest time with a very impressive 4-39, which one expects must be a track record by a long way, and was joined in the final by teammate Jairo Perez, who finished within a second of Alzate's time in a later heat, both showing a marked upturn from recent domestic results. In the final Alzate once again had the beating of his compatriot, but again by less than a second, finishing in a time of 4:44.684.

Canada's Zach Bell, who qualified in 3rd with a 4-42, overpowered Fernando Antogna in the bronze medal race-off beating the Argentinian by four and a half seconds in a time of 4:43.462. Bell's was a second medal for the Canadian team as Travis Smith had earlier collected a silver in the men's keirin, though the Commonwealth Games silver medallist was forced to settle for second again behind 20-year-old Argentinian Leandro Botasso, a rider who, despite featuring on the World Cup circuit, must rank as a surprise winner. Jamaica's Ricardo Lynch upheld the Caribbean sprint tradition with a fine bronze medal ahead of Mexican espoir Luis Toussaint.

Women's Keirin
The women's keirin was taken by Cuba's multiple World Junior Champion Lisandra Guerra. Colombia's Diana Garcia, an unexpected finalist at Worlds this year was beaten in the race for silver by Angie Gonzalez, deposed as Venezuelan champion this year, but who came through the repechage to qualify for the final. With her least favoured event now out of the way Guerra must be odds-on to sweep all three women's sprint disciplines. Cuba scored a one-two in the women's scratch race with Yumari and Yoanka Gonzalez finishing ahead of the rest. Yumari successfully defended the title she won in Mar del Plata last year. Third place went to Venezuela's Karelia Machado who consigned the USA's Becky Quinn to fourth. World Champion Maria Luisa Calle, reported by the Colombian press to be in Caieiras, did not race.

In the final event of the day Cameron MacKinnon completed the full medal set for Canada, winning gold with a time of 1:06.316. MacKinnon, on paper the fastest man in the field, raced fifth and so was forced to endure a torturous wait to see whether his mark would be good enough. Nobody got close to MacKinnon until his Canadian teammate Matt Barlee drove to 1:07.466 to claim a temporary hold on second position. The Canadian pair were eventually split by the penultimate rider Julio Cesar Hererra, Cuba's former Pan-Am Games Champion, who posted 1:06.923. Only Argentina's Sergio Guatto could deny Canada two medals, but narrowly failed in his attempt, finishing fourth, just 0.065 seconds off Barlee's time.

Canada is now ranked 4th in the Pan Am Championship's medal chart
1. Brazil (3 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)
2. Cuba (3 gold, 2 silver)
3. Colombia (2 gold, 1 silver)
4. Canada (1 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze)

Women Keirin
1. Lisandra Guerra (Cuba)
2. Angie Gonzalez (Venezuela)
3. Diana Garcia (Colombia)
4. Irene Arvena (Chile)
5. Ivyh Mayumi (Brazil)
DNF. Sarah Mejia (Colombia)

Men Keirin
1. Leandro Botasso (Argentina)
2. Travis Smith (Canada)
3. Ricardo Lynch (Jamaica)
4. Luis Tousant (Mexico)
5. Yasmani Poll (Cuba)
6. Stephen Alfred (USA)

Men's Pursuit 4000m
1. Carlos Alzate (Colombia), 4:43.462
2. Jairo Perez (Colombia), 4:45.345
3. Zach Bell (Canada), 4:43.462
4. Fernando Antogna (Argentina), 4:47.932

Women's Scratch
1. Yumari Gonzalez (Cuba)
2. Yoanka Gonzalez (Cuba)
3. Karelia Machado (Venezuela)
4. Rebeca Quinn (USA)
5. Cristina Greve (Argentina)
6. Sarah Uhl (USA)
7. Claudia Miranda (Chile)
8. Valeria Pintos (Argentina)
9. Mandy Poitras (Canada)
10. Monica Mendez (Colombia)
11. Debora Gerhard (Brazil)
12. Maria Parra (Ecuador)
13. Janildes Fernandes (Brazil)
14. Magdaly Trujillo (Colombia)
15. Paulina Fuentealba (Chile)
16. Blendy Rojas (Venezuela)
17. Erin Carter (Canada)
DNF. Maribel Diaz (Mexico)

Kilo
1. Cam MacKinnon (Canada), 1:06.316
2. Julio Herrera (Cuba), 1:06.923
3. Matt Barlee (Canada), 1:07.466
4. Sergio Guatto (Argentina), 1:07.531
5. Rodrigo Barros (Colombia), 1:07.830
6. Azilkiwe Kellar (Trinidad & Tobago), 1:08.242
7. Jhonny Hernandez (Venezuela), 1:08.429
8. Carlos Borello (Argentina), 1:08.662
9. Carlos Monroy (Colombia), 1:09.252
10. Kleber Neve (Brazil), 1:09.764