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Canadian women’s team sprint trio claims bronze on Day One of the UCI track Nations Cup in Milton

Fourth for women's team pursuit quartet

Photo by: Photo: Kevin Mackinnon
May 12, 2022
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Canada’s women’s team sprint trio has medaled for the second consecutive UCI track Nations Cup, beating the Brits on Day One of the series’ second roung at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre Velodrome in Milton, ON. Earlier in the night, the women’s team pursuit quartet came up a little short in the bronze medal match up against the U.S.A.

After the opening Glasgow, Scotland round, Canada was ninth in the competition on 7088 points following Kelsey Mitchell’s gold in the individual sprint, silver in the women’s team sprint and Maggie Coles-Lyster’s fifth place in the omnium.

The day started with women’s team pursuit qualifying. Canada had two squads. Canada A consisted of Ngaire Barraclough, Sarah van Dam, Devaney Collier and Ariane Bonhomme, while Canada B was made up of Erin Atwell, Fiona Majendie, Lily Plante and cyclocross ace Ruby West. Canada A had the best time of 4:22.325, and Canada B posted the sixth best time.

In the women’s team pursuit Round 1 Canada B fared better against Switzerland than Canada A did against the Australians, but Canada A’s fourth best time meant that the quartet would vie for bronze against the Americans.

Bronze medal match up: After a kilometre the U.S.A. had a slight lead, but Canada A soon pulled back the advantage. Canada A was first to lose a rider and that turned out to be the determining factor, with the Americans winning by .777 seconds. Italy prevailed in the gold medal tussle with the Aussies.

Canada also fielded two squads in the men’s team pursuit qualifying. Canada A was comprised of Evan Burtnik, Sean Richardson, Michael Foley, Jackson Kinniburgh, and Canada B’s lineup was Chris Ernst, Amiel Flett-Brown, Daniel Fraser-Maraun, Gavin Hadfield. Both teams qualified for Round 1, A with the fifth best time and B earning the seventh.

In the men’s team pursuit Round 1 Canada A clobbered Uzbekistan. Canada B couldn’t prevail against China. Unfortunately, Canada A just missed out on the bronze match with a time of 3:57.282. This time Australia beat the Italians for gold.

Team Canada in action on Thursday. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

After an afternoon recess, the rubber hit the Siberian spruce again with the women’s team sprint qualifying. Canada’s crack trio of Lauriane Genest, Kelsey Mitchell, Sarah Orban posted the third fastest time with 47.907 and was matched against Poland in the first round.

Sarah Orban, Lauriane Genest and Kelsey Mitchell in action on Thursday.

Poland had the lead for the first 500 metres, but Genest as the anchor swung the clock back in Canada’s favour and the trio won by almost two seconds. The time of 47.848 put Canada in the bronze medal match with the Brits.

Bronze medal match up: The Brits took the early lead but by the 500-metre mark Canada was ahead by 0.1 second. The home team held tough and would wear medals at the end of the night.

The men’s team sprint qualifying saw Team Canada’s Ryan Dodyk, Tyler Rorke, Nick Wammes power their way to the fifth best time.

In Round 1 Canada faced Great Britain B. Both teams had to restart after an equipment issue. Once they were under way, the Brits immediately seized the lead and would not relinquish it.