Meares reclaims women’s 500-meter title; France, Germany meet in team sprint final

By Agence France Presse
Australia’s Anna Meares reclaimed her 500 meter time trial crown at the world track cycling championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Wednesday.

Meares, who won Australia’s only track medal ─ a silver in the sprint ─ at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, set a personal best of 33.381 seconds to claim her third world title in the discipline.

Defending champion and reigning world record holder Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania finished second to take the silver in a time of 33.462, with Olga Panarina of Belarus winning the bronze in 33.779.

Meares last won the 500m event, which is no longer an Olympic discipline, at Los Angeles in 2007, three years after her first world gold in the event at Melbourne in 2004.

Olympic Sprint
Reigning champion France will defend its men’s team sprint title against Germany Wednesday evening.

The British trio of Jason Kenny, Ross Edgar and Chris Hoy had been hoping to make the final however the team had to settle for the bronze medal match against an on-form Chinese squad as the French stormed to a best qualifying time in 43.37 seconds.

It means Hoy, the reigning Olympic champion in the sprint, keirin and team sprint, will have to wait for the keirin tournament to begin later this week before bidding for a British record 10th world track title.

Germany, which faced France in its heat, finished second overall in qualifying in a time of 43.458. China has been steadily building a championship team for the three-lap power event and showed promise with a time of 44.017.

Australia had also been hoping to feature in the medals but came home in a time of 44.578.

At last year’s championships in Poland where Hoy was absent due to injury Bauge, Kevin Sireau and Mickael Bourgain beat the British trio of Jamie Staff, Kenny and Matt Crampton for the gold.

FILED UNDER: News / Track TAGS: Anna Meares / UCI Track World Championships