August 13/16 13:33 pm - Canada to Race for Bronze in Team Pursuit

Posted by Editoress on 08/13/16
 

Canada will race for Olympic bronze against New Zealand on Saturday evening in the Women's Team Pursuit at the Rio velodrome.  The Canadian team of Allison Beveridge, Jasmin Glaesser, Kirsti Lay and Georgia Simmerling, faced the defending Olympic champions, Great Britain, in the semi-final round and lost when the British team set a new world record.  However, the Canadians set the third fastest time of the session at four minutes and 15.636 seconds, to qualify for the bronze medal race.  The time was a new Canadian record.  Great Britain will face the United States for gold.

In the Women's Keirin, neither Kate O'Brien or Monique Sullivan advanced past the first round.  Sullivan - who was in the toughest heat of the first round, facing multiple world and Olympic champions - finished sixth, as did O'Brien in her heat.  In the last chance Repechage races (winner moves on to the next round), O'Brien finished second, while Sullivan was fifth.

"The first ride I wasn't super happy with," admitted O'Brien.  "I kind of got into a situation where I had no idea what I was doing.  But the second ride I went out and executed the way I wanted to; I rode from the front.  I was a bit delayed when the Russian [Anastasiia Voinova] jumped, and after that she just out rode me.  The Keirin is still a bit daunting to me, to be honest, but I just rode the best that I could, and unfortunately I didn't come out on top."

O'Brien is looking forward more to the Sprint competition, where she was sixth at the world championships earlier in the season.  "The Sprint went well for me at Worlds, and I have some confidence there.  So, hopefully, I can try to recreate my Worlds rides.  I'll try and qualify the best I can, and race how I want to race, and we'll see how that stacks me up."

Sullivan, who was sixth in the Keirin at the London Olympics, and fourth at this year's world championships, was disappointed with her performance.  "I really wish I could have done better.  The team has been so good all year, and we all wanted to do more and show the work we've been doing.  But it wasn't enough today."

"I saw my first heat this morning, and I went 'Oh my God'.  It was a mental battle, and I really fought to get into the headspace where I could fight for the win or second [to move on to the next round].  The race started out okay, and I was in position to get on the rush that I knew was coming, but it just wasn't enough.  In the second ride, I tried to avoid getting boxed in, but I just couldn't get around the other riders to the front."

"We've got 24 hours to recover and refocus for the Sprint, and that's enough.  Kate and I will be gunning to have the best times that we can in qualifying, and hopefully make it up to the team tomorrow."

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