Genest and Mitchell score keirin top-10 places in final day of Hong Kong World Cup

Sunday’s final day of competition at Hong Kong’s third round of the 2019-2020 UCI track World Cup saw Lauriane Genest and Saturday’s bronze medalist Kelsey Mitchell earn Canada’s best results of the day in the keirin.

Both athletes had to use the keirin repechage to get into the 7-12 final after Genest placed second to pocket dynamo Wai Sze Lee in the first round Heat 1 and Mitchell came fourth in Heat 2. In the repechage, Genest was fastest in Heat 1 and Mitchell topped Heat 4.

Lauriane Genest & Kelsey Mitchell heading into the Keirin 7-12 finals after several solid rides today!

Go get em’ ??#TissotUCITrackWC pic.twitter.com/j4Nc3xlGRM

— Cycling Canada (@CyclingCanada) December 1, 2019

In the 7-12 final Genest earned 9th and Mitchell 10th.

In the men’s individual sprint Hugo Barrette and Nick Wammes qualified the 19th fastest and 27th fastest respectively, but the first round was as far as either of them got. Barrette went down to British ace Jason Kenny and Wammes found Lithuanian Vasilijus Lendel too fast.

Like Mitchell and Wammes, Canadian Devaney Collier hasn’t much World Cup experience, but she gave it a good showing in the women’s omnium. Her best out of the four events was the elimination race in which she placed 5th. Eleventh out of 23 riders will encourage Collier and Team Canada.

Genest, Mitchell and Barrette will all return to the boards in the next two rounds of the World Cup in Cambridge, New Zealand December 6-8 and Brisbane, Australia December 13-15.