More Pan Am gold for Monique Sullivan on the track
Monique Sullivan never looked threatened as she took another medal to go along with her win in the team sprint (with O’Brien), keirin and a new Pan Am sprint record of 10.992.
by Kevin Mackinnon
Peter Gilgan, the owner of Mattamy Homes and main sponsor of the Milton velodrome, might have to consider renaming facility he put so much funding into the Monique Sullivan National Training Centre after the last session of track racing at the Pan Am Games. Sullivan easily handled her countrywoman, Kate O’Brien, to take gold in the women’s sprint, overpowering O’Brien in both of their races. Considering O’Brien is also on the national bobsled squad, that’s no easy feat, but Monique Sullivan never looked threatened as she took another medal to go along with her win in the team sprint (with O’Brien), keirin and a new Pan Am sprint record of 10.992.
In between the Sullivan and O’Brien show (the two heats of the women’s sprint), the men’s team pursuit final took place. The Canadian foursome of Ed Veal, Rémi Pelletier-Roy, Eric Johnstone and Sean Mackinnon brought the house down with a dramatic come from behind win over Venezuela to take the bronze medal and also set a new Canadian sea-level PR of 4:06.005.
The Colombians were expected to win the men’s team pursuit, which they did in dramatic fashion, trailing the team from Argentina by almost a second through 3 km, then putting the hammer down and cruising to the win in 4:03.310, the fastest pursuit ride this track has seen in its seven months.
The men’s keirin was next on the agenda, won by Colombia’s Fabian Puerta Zapata, followed by Hersony Canelon Vera from Venezuela. Canadian Hugo Barrette kept the Canadian medal streak alive, somehow coming out from being boxed in to sneak across the line in third.
Jasmin Glaesser was Canada’s medal hope in in the women’s omnium. Glaesser rode a spirited points race getting a few sprint wins to force American Sarah Hammer to pull out all the stops in the final sprint to take the gold medal. Glaesser overtook Cuba’s Marlies Meijas for the silver. Meijas just managed to stay ahead of Argentina’s Cristina Greve to claim that last spot on the podium.
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