Another day, another medal for Canada at London 2016 track cycling world championships

Canada has now won a medal each of the first four days of the UCI 2016 world track cycling world championships in London, as Jasmin Glaesser took a silver in Saturday’s points race to add to her team pursuit silver. Canadian women have now won two bronze and two silver medals.

Glaesser was also the silver medalist in the points race at the Hong Kong World Cup, and she took 2-points in the first of 10 sprints on Saturday. However, with 19 other athletes on the track, she got a little buried over the next four sprints.

At the sprint-six mark she started to come back and was tied for the bronze spot after seven. Her win of sprint-nine moved her from fifth to sole possessor of bronze. The final sprint was frantic, with Australian Georgia Baker trying to usurp the Canadian. Glaesser would take third to Baker’s second in the last sprint and tie Cuban Arlenis Sierra on 14-points, with Baker at 13. Glaesser’s superior placings gave her the silver, and she finished one-point out of gold.

Another one for the week! #canuckup #ridetorio pic.twitter.com/UygbzwgCM0

— Cycling Canada (@CyclingCanada) March 5, 2016

The day began with the women’s sprint qualification, the 200-metre flying lap time trial. Kate O’Brien placed 13th and went on to the first round, but her team sprint partner Monique Sullivan could not advance. O’Brien beat Australian Kaarle McCulloch in the 1/16 finals but couldn’t scrap her way past a second Aussie, Stephanie Morton, in the 1/8 finals. Morton had the top qualifying time.

Alison Beveridge, who won omnium gold in the Cambridge, New Zealand World Cup, didn’t get off to a flying start in the first event, the scratch race, placing 16th out of 20 athletes. Things went better in the individual pursuit, where the Friday’s silver medalist in the team pursuit took eighth. In the elimination race, the final event of the day, Beveridge was 10th. At 10th overall after three events, she’ll need an outstanding Sunday to medal.

Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) was trying to get to the Rio Olympic Games track, but only a medal in the men’s omnium would get him there. With only the points race remaining he was fifth overall after a fourth place in the flying lap. Cavendish started to accumulate points in the early sprints. However, the engrossing battle between two other WorldTour riders, Elia Viviani (Italy/Sky) and Fernando Gaviria (Colombia/Etixx-QuickStep), overshadowed Cavendish’s endeavours. Gaviria was able to overtake Viviani to retain the world championship. Cavendish was sixth overall.

Sunday is the conclusion of the 2016 UCI track cycling world championships, when Beveridge will contest the second half of the omnium. Hugo Barrette races the keirin.