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Olympic selection news for August 4
British Track TeamAfter the conclusion of the British Track Championships in Manchester last weekend, the British Cycling Federation have named their trackies to go to Sydney. Twelve riders will go, ten men and two women, to contest ten events. The men's sprint team consists of Jason Queally, Craig Maclean, Neil Campbell, and Chris Hoy, the former three placed 1,2 and 3 at the Nationals in the kilometre time trial. Queally and Campbell have been selected to ride this event in Sydney, while Hoy (a former BMX'er and MTB'er) and Maclean will contest the individual sprint. Maclean, 29, was born in Scotland but moved to Manchester to cut down on traveling time. Amongst his achievements, which include a silver at last year's World Championships in Berlin (Olympic sprint with Queally and Hoy), he also has worked as an undertaker, musician and piano tuner. In the men's endurance squad, Rob Hayles leads the way in the individual pursuit, the points race and the madison. Hayles became the new national champion in the individual pursuit, which he added to his national criterium title this year. In the madison, he will partner young Brad Wiggins, 20, who was born in Belgium as his father was a former professional Six Day rider. Wiggins won gold in the 1998 Junior World Championships in the 3000m individual pursuit, and will ride in the team pursuit at the Olympics in addition to the madison. The other members of the team pursuit are Jon Clay, Paul Manning, Chris Newton, and Bryan Steel. Manning finished second in the individual pursuit at the nationals, but set the fastest qualifying time of 4.22.01, breaking Graeme Obree's five year old record. Clay is an experienced road rider, and has worn the yellow jersey in the Milk Race, as well as being a former national time trial champion and finishing runner up in the road race this year. Newton, 26, rode in the Atlanta Olympics and is the current national time trial champion. He almost retired at the beginning of the year after he lost his road contract, but successfully switched to the track. Finally, Bryan Steel, 31, won a bronze medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland and silver four years later in Victoria, Canada, as a member of the England Team Pursuit squad. He rode in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, and the Sydney Games will be his third, where once again he is a member of the Team Pursuit squad. The two women selected will contest the points and the pursuit race only. Emma Davies, 21, was runner up in this year's individual pursuit at the Nationals and fourth in the points race. She will contest the Olympic points race while the experienced Yvonne McGregor, 39 will ride the pursuit. McGregor is one of Great Britain's best performed female track riders, winning a gold medal in the points race at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, and a bronze in the pursuit at the 1998 Games, as well as coming fourth in that event in the 1996 Olympics. She also broke the hour record in 1995 when she covered 47.411 km around the Manchester velodrome. The British track team Men Sprint Kilometre Keirin Olympic Sprint Pursuit Points Madison Team Pursuit Women Pursuit Points Spanish Olympic team preselectionThe final five member Spanish Men's Olympic road team will be decided after La Vuelta a España on September 17 out of the following riders: Abraham Olano, David Etxebarria, Angel Casero, Vicente García Acosta, Oscar Freire, Miguel Martin Perdiguero, Juan Carlos Domínguez, and Alvaro and Igor González de Galdeano.
Norwegian road teamNorwegian MTB ace Gunn Rita Dahle will not start in the Olympics. Her original plan was to concentrate on MTB this season and then do some road racing and start in both disciplines. But inappropriate training has worn her musculature and now she will not be able to participate at all. Last year she tried to double the World Cup series on MTB and road but fell through at the MTB World Championships. Norwegian road team Men Thor Hushovd (Credit
Agricole) Women Monica Valen Notable absentees: Steffen Kjaergaard (US Postal) and Ragnhild Kostöl. Both are reserves though. Bairos nominated for US track team1999 Pan American Games gold medalist Johnny Bairos has been nominated to the US Olympic Committee for the final spot of the US Track Cycling squad. Although the. remainder of the US Olympic Track Cycling roster was named on July 7, the final spot was held until a medical evaluation could be completed on Bairos, who was injured at the World Track Cup in Mexico City on June 18. In that event, Bairos was pushed up off the track and fell more than 20 feet, suffering two fractures in his jaw, shattered right sinus cavity and fractured left sinus cavity, in addition to a broken right patella (kneecap). This put his Olympic hopes in serious danger, but the federation decided to wait and see how he recovered before ruling him out. They are satisfied with his performance at the moment, "He is training at full speed and has 100% medical clearance," said Sean Petty, director of athlete performance. |
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