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Another top qualification for Canada’s team pursuit women

O Brien and Sullivan

Canada’s team pursuit women’s squad qualified with the best time for the second UCI track World Cup event running in Cambridge, New Zealand on Friday. The Canadian women’s team sprint duo fell just short of contesting for medals in one of their best performances.

Team pursuit foursome Allison Beveridge, Kristi Lay, Jasmin Glaesser and Laura Brown posted 4:19.359 to Australia’s second place 4:20.157. In Cali in November, the Canadians–with Stephanie Roorda in place of Brown–qualified with the fastest time of 4:21.359. The quartet will now face the USA in Saturday’s first round.

The spectacular efforts of team sprint combination Monique Sullivan and Kate O’Brien could not vault them into the medal round. The duo’s mark of 33.467–a new Canadian record–was the fastest time for a while until the Netherlands broke it. Canada placed 5th, three places better than at Cali, but there’s no first round as in team pursuit, only finals for the top four. China qualified with the best time of 32.711.

Like the women’s team sprint outfit, the men’s team pursuit squad came agonizingly close to qualifying for the first round by coming ninth with a time of 4:04.927 to top team Australia’s 3:56.403. Ed Veal, Remi Pelletier-Roy, Aidan Caves and Adam Jamieson finished three places higher than at Cali, giving the coaching staff reasons to be optimistic about the final round of the World Cup in Hong Kong.

Hugo Barrette, on his return from a nasty crash in Cali, led the men’s team sprint trio to ninth in qualifying with a time of 44.393. Germany set the high mark of 43.151 and will face New Zealand in the gold medal match-up.

The action continues Saturday with Pelletier-Roy and Beveridge contesting the omniums, Sullivan looking for individual sprint glory, Barrette in the keirin and the women’s team pursuit first round and finals.