May 29/98 3:51 am - Victoria World Cup Report 7

Posted by Editor on 05/29/98
 

Australians Dominate

The second half of the Day 2 morning session consisted of Individual Pursuit (Women) and Team Pursuit (Men) Qualifying heats. In both cases, it was the Australians who set the pace, with Lucy Tyler-Sharman shattering countrywoman Kathy Watt‚s Commonwealth Games track record in her qualifying run for the 3000M Individual Pursuit. Watt‚s record was 3:48.522, while Tyler-Sharman did 3:45.120, in a run she was disappointed with! „I really should have gone faster, and I expect to later (in the Final this evening).‰ Svetlana Samokhvalova RUS was second, in 3:48.574 - coming very close to the old record as well. Erin Veenstra of the USA qualified third with 3:52.197. Canada‚s entry, local Vancouver-based Andrea Hannos, finished a respectable 8th (4:01.587).

In the Men‚s 4000M Team Pursuit (always a crowd favourite), the Danish team threw down the gauntlet early, catching the Canadian team with just over half the race completed, and going on to record a time of 4:22.902. This time did not hold up long, as two heats later saw the Argentinian team drop the line to 4:21.209. One round later, it was the most anticipated match up - Australia (the track record holders) against the USA. The Australians looked flawless, with crisp, quick changeovers and arrow straight riding. The Americans rode well, but were no match, as the Aussies did a 4:15.852. The Americans could manage no better than a 4:23.268, putting them in 5th place, out of the finals. The final qualifying heat saw the New Zealand team jump into second place (4:20.896), setting up a gold medal ride against their rivals the Australians. The current Team Pursuit record is 4:10.485, so there is a possibility of a new record this evening.

Womens 3000M Individual Pursuit Qualifier

1. Lucy Tyler-Sharman AUS 3:45.120
2. Svetlana Samokhvalova RUS 3:48.574
3. Erin Veenstra USA 3:52.197
4. Teodora Ruano ESP 3:57.296
5. Ina-Yoko Teutenberg GER 3:57.451

8. Andrea Hannos, CAN 4:01.587

Mens 4000M Team Pursuit Qualifier

1. Australia (Brett Lancaster, Tim Lyons, Luke Roberts, Michael Rogers) 4:15.852
2. New Zealand (Gary Anderson, Brendon Cameron, Tim Carswell, Lee Verongen) 4:20.896
3. Argentina (Walter Perez, Simon Edgards, Gustavo Artacho, Gonzalo Garcia) 4:21.209
4. Denmark (Tayeb Braikia, Jimmi Madsen, Jakob Piil, Michael Sandstod) 4:22.902
11. Canada (Mark Ernsting, Trevor Gunderson, Paul Henderson, Glen Rendall) Lapped