Canadian track women continue success with double silver in Mexico

The Canadian women’s team pursuit squad set a Canadian record of 4:19.629 on its way to winning silver in the second UCI World Cup event of the season in Aguascalientes, Mexico on Thursday. Later in the evening of the first day of competition, Jasmin Glaesser, part of the team pursuit squad, garnered silver in the points race.

The Canadian quartet of Stephanie Roorda, Laura Brown, Gillian Carleton and Jasmin Glaesser set the record in posting the second fastest time to Great Britain’s top mark in qualifying. The British foursome beat their own world record in qualifying, completing the 4-km in 4:19:115. In the final the Brits were too much for the Canadians, blasting their hours-old record with a time of 4:16.552 to Canada’s 4:23.172. In the bronze medal race, Australia beat the USA.

The Canadian pursuit team is on a two-year tear: silver in a London world cup event in mid-February, 2012; bronze at the Melbourne world championships; bronze at the London Olympic Games; gold in the Aguascalientes World Cup last year; bronze at last season’s Minsk, Belarus world championships; and silver in November in Manchester, England.

Glaesser’s silver in the points race comes after Laura Brown’s gold in the discipline in Manchester. Germany’s Stephanie Pohl beat Glaesser by 20 points to 13 for the win.

Friday, Carleton will begin the omnium and Hugo Barrette of Cap-Aux-Meules, Que., will pursue individual sprint glory.