December 6/04 2:58 am - 24 Olympic Medalists To Compete In Los Angeles Track World Cup

Posted by Editoress on 12/6/04
 

24 Olympic Medalists To Compete In Los Angeles Track World Cup
Courtesy USA Cycling

Five Athens Gold Medalists Among 170 Riders from 32 Countries Scheduled to Compete

A massive collection of international cycling talent comes to suburban Los Angeles next week where 24 Olympic medalists from around the world will compete in the second round of the 2004/05 UCI World Cup series at the ADT Event Center in Carson, Calif. In total, 170 athletes from 32 countries are scheduled to race. Included in that list are 11 Olympic gold medalists.

Among the highly decorated list of competitors are two Americans, Marty Nothstein and Erin Mirabella A longtime fixture on the international cycling circuit, Nothstein captured a silver medal at the 1996 games in Atlanta before he realized his dream of Olympic gold four years later in Sydney. A three-time world champion and 35-time U.S. national champion, Nothstein will team up with fellow 2004 Olympian Colby Pearce in the madison on Sunday.

Mirabella, a bronze medalist in Athens, will compete in two events, the points race on Friday and the individual pursuit on Saturday.

Of the 32 nations competing, Australia stands out as arguably the most talented team. The squad from down under will be sending the two riders responsible for half of their eight medal haul from Athens. Double Olympic gold medalist Ryan Bayley proved to be one of the world's best sprinters after convincing wins in the sprint and keirin events last August. His female counterpart, Anna Meares, won Olympic gold this year in the 500m time trial and brought home a bronze in the sprint. Sean Eadie, a bronze medalist in Sydney compliments the accomplished and experienced core of Australian sprinters. On the endurance front, 2004 Olympic silver medalist and former world record holder Katie Mactier will lead the way for Australia.

Germany, Spain, and France will also be fielding teams that are expected to post strong results. Three-time Olympic medalist Stefan Nimke will lead a powerful German team in the sprint events while two-time Olympic champion Robert Bartko and two-time Olympic medalist Guido Fulst will be riders to watch in the individual pursuit and points race respectively.

Spain will be led by Sergi Escobar and Juan Llaneras. Escobar captured two medals in Athens, a bronze in the both the individual pursuit and the team pursuit. Olympic champion in 2000, Llaneras added a second Olympic medal to his name in Athens with a silver medal performance in the points race. Escobar's Olympic teammates, Carlos Castano and Asier Maeztu also will be on hand to form a potential winning combination in the team pursuit.

With four Olympic medals between them, Arnaud Tournant and Mikael Bourgain will lead France and provide the field with another well-respected sprint combination.

In a potential rematch of the women's sprint finals at the Athens games, gold medalist Lori-Ann Muenzer (CAN) and silver medalist Tamilla Abassova (ITA) will be in Los Angeles. Also, runner-up to Australia's Bayley, Athens silver medalist Theo Bos (NED) will be looking for revenge.

Other Olympic gold medalists scheduled to compete include Mikhail Ignatyev (RUS), and Jason Queally (GBR). Ignatyev won the points race in Athens and Queally won the kilometer time trial in Sydney.

Finally, Natallia Tsylinskaya (BLR), Belem Guerrero Mendez (MEX), Chris Newton (GBR), and Oxana Grichina (RUS) round out the list of Olympic medalists scheduled to compete this weekend.

2004/05 UCI World Cup #2, Los Angeles, Calif., Dec. 10-12

Olympic Medalists Participating

Athens 2004

Ryan Bayley (AUS) Gold; sprint, keirin
Mikhail Ignatyev (RUS) Gold; points race
Anna Meares (AUS) Gold; 500m time trial, Bronze; sprint
Lori-Ann Muenzer (CAN) Gold; sprint
Stefan Nimke (GER) Gold; team sprint, Bronze; kilometer time trial
Tamilla Abassova (ITA) Silver; sprint
Theo Bos (NED) Silver; sprint
Juan Llaneras (ESP) Silver; points race
Belem Guerrero Mendez (ESP) Silver; points race
Katie Mactier (AUS) Silver; individual pursuit
Arnaud Tournant (FRA) Silver; kilometer time trial
Mikael Bourgain (FRA) Bronze; team sprint
Carlos Castano (ESP) Bronze; team pursuit
Sergi Escobar (ESP) Bronze; individual pursuit, team pursuit
Guido Fulst (ITA) Bronze; points race
Asier Maeztu (ESP) Bronze; team pursuit
Erin Mirabella (USA) Bronze; points race
Natalia Tsylinskaya (BLR) Bronze; 500m time trial

Sydney 2000

Robert Bartko (GER) Gold; individual pursuit, team pursuit
Fulst (GER) Gold; team pursuit
Llaneras (ESP) Gold; points race
Marty Nothstein (USA) Gold; sprint
Jason Queally (GBR) Gold; kilometer time trial, Silver; team sprint
Tournant (FRA) Gold; team sprint
Oxana Grichina (RUS) Silver; sprint
Nimke (GER) Silver; kilometer time trial
Sean Eadie (AUS) Bronze; team sprint
Chris Newton (GBR) Bronze; team pursuit

Atlanta 1996

Nothstein (USA) Silver; sprint

Countries Participating (32)

Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Belarus, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Paraguay, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United States, Venezuela.