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Fine start for Canadian team pursuit squads on first day of track cycling world championships

Canadian men will race for bronze against Denmark Thursday

Team Canada’s crack team pursuit squads began their medal journey in fine form on Wednesday, as both men and women qualified with the fifth best times in Pruszków, Poland. The men will contest the bronze medal on Thursday, while the women will meet Belgium in their side’s first round.

In qualifying Michael Foley, Derek Gee, Adam Jamieson, Jay Lamoureux were the 10th quartet to start and had the fourth fastest time after a kilometre. By the end of two-km, the team had moved up to third and then second over the final two laps. After all the teams had rolled, Team Canada’s 3:56:914 was the fifth best time while the fastest men’s squad was Australia.

Canada drew the home Poles in the first round and fell behind early before the foursome rallied to win while posting the third fastest time of the round. Denmark lost to Great Britain in the round but edged out Germany for the final medal slot.

The Canadian women, Allison Beveridge, Ariane Bonhomme, Annie Foreman-Mackey and Georgia Simmerling, had a fast start in qualifying and finished in fifth between New Zealand and Germany. In Thursday’s first round, the quartet faces Belgium, which qualified with the eighth fastest time.

The home Poles have a current world omnium champion in Szymon Sajnok, and took two silvers in this season’s World Cup. Pruszków, Poland also hosted the world championships in 2009.