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Pan Am Games Day 1 track recap: Two medals for team Canada

Racing is underway at the Velódromo Parque Peñalolén in Santiago

Tyler Rorke, Nick Wammes and James Hedgcock ride to the gold in the men’s team sprint at the Velodromo during the Panam Games in Santiago, Chile on October 24, 2023. (Photo: Dave Holland/CSI Calgary) Photo by: Dave Holland/CSI Calgary
October 25, 2023
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Team Canada’s track cyclists scored two medals on Day 1 of racing at Velódromo Parque Peñalolén at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games on Tuesday.

Men’s team sprint

The men’s sprint team that clinched the gold medal at the June 2023 San Juan Pan American Track Cycling Championships reunited in Santiago for a rematch. The team, consisting of Nick Wammes (24, Bothwell, Ont.), James Hedgcock (21, Ancaster, Ont.), and Tyler Rorke (20, Baden, Ont.), dominated the qualifying round with an impressive time of 43.829 seconds. In the gold medal final, they went head-to-head with Colombia, narrowly edging them out with a time of 43.396 seconds compared to Colombia’s 43.421 seconds. Mexico tok the bronze medal with a time of 43.396 seconds.

“We wanted this one so bad, it’s been a long season and this kind of feels like we’re putting icing on the cake,” Wamme said. “It seems like honestly, whenever we race together we keep getting faster and faster, just better as a team. We’ve kind of matched our best time all season right now and we’re in a very heavily trained state so I think we’re getting stronger and looking forward to next season–the Olympics are in 10 months!”

Women’s team sprint

The women’s sprint team also had a good day, taking the bronze medal. Jackie Boyle (26, Toronto, Ont.), Sarah Orban (28, Calgary, Alta.), and Emy Savard (20, Saguenay, Que.), beat Colombia by less than a second. Canada posted a time of 48.498 seconds, just edging out Colombia’s 48.836 seconds. Sharing the podium with them were Mexico, earning gold with a time of 47.134 seconds, and the United States, taking silver with a time of 48.001 seconds.

Men’s scratch, elimination and points races

Michael Foley, from Milton, Ont., secured a fourth-place finish in the scratch race, claimed eighth place in the tempo race, earned a well-deserved second place in the elimination race, and ultimately clinched fifth place in the fiercely contested points race. The gold medal was claimed by Hugo Nestor Emiliano Ruiz Calle (PER), while the silver was awarded to Ricardo Peña Salas (MEX), and Jacob Thomas Decar Zúñiga (CHI) took home the bronze.

Women’s team pursuit

The women’s team pursuit began with a strong Canadian lineup, consisting of Devaney Collier (25, Edmonton, Alta.), Kiara Lylyk (19, Guelph, Ont.), Fiona Majendie (25, Vancouver, B.C.), and Ruby West (24, Dundas, Ont). They showcased their dominance with an impressive qualifying time of 4:28.520 minutes, and in their heat against the United States (4:26.425 minutes), they excelled even further, achieving a remarkable time of 4:22.246 minutes. This places the quartet in an excellent position for the gold medal final scheduled for tomorrow.