Track coach Richard Wooles: ‘We’ve come a long way’

The Canadian team left the 2011 track world championships Sunday with a single medal — though it was the best kind, a gold for Tara Whitten in the omnium.

Canada has made enormous progress in recent years, to the point where a single medal is, if not disappointing, at least not quite what we had hoped for.

Head track coach Richard Wooles took the time to answer some questions about the worlds performances and what the team has learned from them.

Q. It was mission accomplished for Tara Whitten at the worlds, as she won gold in the women’s omnium. What’s your assessment of her performance?

A. She did the job well and has shown over the last three years that she is a one of the best in the world — two golds and one silver.

Q. Did she go beyond what you had expected from her?

A. No, she is on this level and can race very well when she has no bad luck.

Q. She was consistent across the board but didn’t win any of the individual events — are there any weak areas she needs to work on for next season?

A. The bunch races are always hard as more things can go wrong, she did very well in all the races this year. The goal is not to win them but be better than most at all.

Q. Zach Bell was sixth in the men’s omnium, which must be a bit of a disappointment after he won the World Cup title. What was missing for him to get onto the podium, and how is that going to be addressed going into next season?

A. Its great when we say this, when someone finishes sixth and we are not happy, it shows we have come a long way. We have stuff to work on to get it right for Zach on race day. He has the tolls, just needs to focus in now on London …

Q. The other event Canada hoped to medal in was the women’s team pursuit, but the team of Whitten-Brown-Hughes only managed sixth. The team was thrown together at the last minute, was this a factor in the performance, and how is that going to be addressed over the summer to ensure more consistent performance in the next World Cup season?

A. We did not see a medal this time around, the numbers are good but only the press was thinking we could get a medal, not the coaching stuff. I think we can by London if we get it right …

Q. The men’s team sprint was well down in 18th and last place, and Monique Sullivan seems to be progressing though an 11.5 was only good enough for 15th in qualifying for the women’s sprint. What’s the future of the sprint program, especially going into the pre-Olympic year when resources have to be focused on medal contenders?

A. We have three groups now, those that look like they might win a medal at London. Those that might make London and build for 2016 and then a big devo group … We are looking for help with building out our teams and keep running a devo team and not stopping next year. It’s always hard when the funding is only for the elite.

Q. Whitten and Bell are off to race on the road for their pro teams. What’s your advice to them to make sure they’re ready for the first world cup in the fall?

A. Have fun …