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28th Olympic Games - JO
Athens, Greece, August 14-28, 2004
Results Qualification First round Finals Track 101
August 22: Men's Team Pursuit first round
Anglo final set for team pursuit
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Australia is set to face Great Britain in the gold medal final of the men's team pursuit Monday after the two nations posted the fastest times in the first round of competition after the qualifiers on Sunday. Speeds were high as both teams put in sub-four minute performances in the 4 kilometre test, with the Australian quartet setting a new world record in the process. Germany will face Spain for the bronze medal.
After Brad Wiggins (Great Britain) defeated Brad McGee (Australia) in the individual pursuit, the two will square off once more, this time as members of four-man teams competing over the same distance. For McGee, the chance for a first Olympic gold medal remains, but now his thoughts are on the collective effort.
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"It's been a long time since I rode with the guys and things have really changed," McGee said at the end of competition Sunday. "They are all so professional and strong. I enjoy this so much. We have improved four seconds on our ride this morning. We will make sure that we win gold tomorrow.
"It will be my first gold medal," he said confidently. "For me personally, the individual events are what count. But for me as an Australian the team pursuit is the most important."
Germany's Robert Bartko was happy with the team's qualification for the bronze medal round against Spain.
"We are all very satisfied with this result after our disappointing seventh rank in the 2004 World Championships," Bartko explained. "We are happy with our time and it comes as a big surprise."
Related story: Coach Ian McKenzie of Australia's track endurance squad on turning talent into champions
Photography
Images by www.epicimages.us
- The Aussies show perfect team form on the way to a prelim win, prepping for the world record.
- This is what the Australian Pursuit team looked like to most of the fans, smashing the world record.
- The British team pursuit in full flight
- The team pursuit or is it sprint, or who knows? It's the British passing the French in the team pursuit.
- The Spanish team pursuit will ride for the bronze medal tomorrow.
Images by Rob Jones/www.canadiancyclist.com
- France just got through to qualify seventh
- Team Russia ready to go in a packed Athens Velodrome
- Team Russia was second-slowest
- The German team were pleased with their comeback ride into the bronze final
- Lithuania had the bad luck to come up against Australia
- The Ukraine team was up against Spain in the first round
- The Netherlands bikes are Australian-made BTs
- The Netherlands went down valiantly against germany in the first round
- Team Spain beat Ukraine in the first round and will race Germany for the bronze
- Great Britain went under 4 minutes for the first time, only the third team in history to do so
- One of Team Australia's BT bikes is taken off the the pits to have some more go-faster yellow added
- The Australians beat their own world record and are hot favourites for the final
Results
Heat 1 1 Germany 4.03.785 Robert Bartko Guido Fulst Christian Lademann Leif Lampater 2 Netherlands 4.04.605 Levi Heimans Jens Mouris Peter Schep Jeroen Straathof Heat 2 1 Spain 4.02.374 Carlos Castano Sergi Escobar Asier Maeztu Carlos Torrent 2 Ukraine 4.05.266 Volodymyr Dyudya Roman Kononenko Sergiy Matveyev Vitaliy Popkov Heat 3 1 Great Britain 3.59.866 Steve Cummings Paul Manning Chris Newton Bradley Wiggins 2 France Matthieu Ladagnous Anthony Langella Jerome Neuville Fabien Sanchez Heat 4 1 Australia 3.56.610 (World record) Graeme Brown Brett Lancaster Bradley McGee Luke Roberts 2 Lithuania Linas Balciunas Ignas Konovalovas Tomas Vaitkus Raimondas Vilcinskas
