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Silvers for Canadian men’s and women’s team pursuit squads in New Zealand World Cup

Men's squad sets new national record

January 18, 2019
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Canada’s team pursuit squads enjoyed their best World Cup results of the 2018-2019 season on Friday’s first day of competition of the fifth round in Cambridge, New Zealand. Both crews earned silvers against the hosts and the men’s team set a new national record in the first round.

Team pursuit qualifying kicked off the day. In men’s team pursuit, Derek Gee, Adam Jamieson, Aidan Caves and Jay Lamoureux rolled four kilometres in 3:55.295, only 0.291 seconds slower than the Kiwis’ fastest time. With Vincent De Haitre replacing Caves, Canada then faced the Swiss in the first round, beating the third fastest qualifiers with a new national record of 3:52.420 that put them up against New Zealand in the gold medal match.

Caves returned to the Canadian quartet for the gold final, where New Zealand prevailed by three-seconds. The silver is Canada’s second medal of the 2018-2019 World Cup, after bronze in Berlin.

The women’s team pursuit also saw Canada post the second fastest time. Allison Beveridge, Ariane Bonhomme, Annie Foreman-Mackey and Georgia Simmerling stopped the clock at 4:19.737, and once again New Zealand posted the fastest time. The Canuck quartet was kept intact for the first round meeting with Italy. After a long break Canada would meet the Kiwis, while Italy would face trade team Subway New Zealand in the bronze match up.

The Silver Fern gang was rolling on Friday, and it clipped the Canadians by 1.25-seconds in the gold medal final. Like the men’s team, Canada’s women also have a bronze this season, won in Berlin.

Canada’s women’s team sprint duo Amelia Walsh and Lauriane Genest were in action on Friday as well. In qualifying they had the 11th fastest time, but only the first eight tandems advanced.

The Chinese trade team Holy Brothers claimed gold in the women’s side, while the red-hot Kiwis won the men’s team sprint.

Team Canada is back at it Saturday, with Walsh and Genest in the women’s individual pursuit, Hugo Barrette contesting the keirin, and Beveridge chasing her second medal of the season in the omnium.