World Junior Track Cycling Championships - CDM

Australia, August 21-25 2002

Event program and results    Men's Keirin    Women's Keirin

Men's and Women's Keirin

Men - Second gold in first keirin

By Karen Forman in Melbourne

Alexey Hamachev (Russia) on the way to a bronze in the Keirin
Photo: © Tom Balks

Australia took its second gold medal on the first night of the 2002 Junior World Track Championships in an event held for the first time at a junior worlds: The keirin.

And the pleasure of winning it went to Victorian rider Mark French, riding on his home track in Melbourne, in front of an appreciative hometown crowd.

The 17 year old drew first wheel and then sprinted forward in a most impressive ride to clinch the gold in 11.064. Colombian Hernan Sanchez was second across the line but later relegated by commissaires for interference. American Andrew Lakatosh, third across the line, then gained the silver and Russian rider Alexy Mamachev, fourth across the line, took the bronze.

It was a top bike race. French was strong and watchful behind the derny but the American and Colombian were bunched tightly behind him, waiting for the break. When the derny moved away, the Russian moved around outside to take the lead, but French was quickly on his wheel. At the bell, French attacked strongly with the Colombian on his wheel, but appeared to zoom away from the field to score a very strong win across the line ahead of the Colombian.

Mark French is congratulated
Photo: © Tom Balks

"I just came around and thought, stuff it, they can't get around me," French said after returning to the in-field. "I saw the Russian coming, so I kicked. They seemed to target me. Then I looked around as I was coming into turn four and away I went. It was a good night to start...now I have the Olympic sprint and the sprint and I am looking forward to the sprint."

He said he was nervous during the day before the race, waking at 6am, but settled down after team mate Mark Jamieson took the first gold medal of the championships, in the individual pursuit. "He's rooming with me and I wanted to see rainbow jerseys hanging all around our room," he joked.

Seriously, however, he predicted a successful run for the Aussies.

"(Coaches) John (Beasley) and Gary (Sutton) have been losing a lot of hair the last few weeks, trying to get us ready and the pressure of competing in our home country...this is a big weight off both shoulders. I think we will go good in the team pursuit."

Photos

• Shi Wenya sitting in behind the Americans. Shi then went on to win silver
• The finalists follow the derney
• Mark French is congratulated by his family and friends
• An ecstatic Mark French crosses the line
• Mark French took gold with a time of 11.064
• Lakatosh and Sanchez duke it out.
• Andrew Lakatosh took home the silver in the Keirin
• Elisa Frisconi took the first Womens gold in the Keirin
• Alexey Hamachev took the bronze in the Keirin
• And when the race was over, the dancing began
• A track star of the future?

Results

Qualifying

Heat 1

1 Dominiek Andries (Belgium)          11.640 
2 Wade Cosgrove (Australia) 
3 Andrew Lakatosh (USA) 
4 Edwin Van Kerkhof (Netherlands)
5 Arif Abassov (Russia)
dns Michael Seidenbecher (Germany)
 
Heat 2

1 Mark French (Australia)             11.398
2 Alexey Hamachev (Russia) 
3 Carlos Monroy (Colombia)
4 Tsuyosi Hashimoto (Japan)
5 Tim Veldt (Netherlands)
6 Walker Starr (New Zealand)
 
Heat 3
 
1 Tsbasa Kitatsuru (Japan)            11.405
2 Hernan Sanchez (Colombia) 
3 Andrew Williams (New Zealand)
4 Javier Caballero (Mexico)
5 Robert Eichfeld (Germany)
dns Hung Wu Po (Taiwan)

Repechages

Heat 1

Andrew Lakatosh (USA)              to semi
Tsuyosi Hashimoto (Japan)          to semi
Javier Caballero (Mexico)
Arif Abassov (Russia)
Walker Starr (New Zealand)

Heat 2

Carlos Monroy (Columbia)           to semi
Tim Veldt (Netherlands)            to semi
Andrew Williams (New Zealand)
Edwin Van Kerkhof (Netherlands)
Robert Eichfeld (Germany)

Semi-final

Heat 1

Alexey Hamachev (Russia)          to final
Hernan Sanchez (Columbia)         to final
Tsuyosi Hashimoto (Japan)         to final
Dominiek Andries (Belgium)
Carlos Monroy (Columbia)
Robert Eichfeld (Germany)

Heat 2

Mark French (Australia)           to final
Tsubasa Kitatsuru (Japan)         to final
Andrew Lakatosh (USA)             to final
Wade Cosrove (Australia)
Tim Veldt (Netherlands)
Javier Caballero (Mexico)

Finals

For 1st-6th

1 Mark French (Australia)             11.064
2 Andrew Lakatosh (USA)
3 Alexey Hamachev (Russia)
4 Tsubasa Kitatsuru (Japan)
5 Tsuyosi Hashimoto (Japan)
6 Hernan Sanchez (Columbia)

Hernan Sanchez was relegated for moving down towards the
inside of the track and forcing other competitor off the track

For 7th-11th

7 Dominiek Andries (Belgium)
8 Carlos Monroy (Columbia)
9 Wade Cosrove (Australia)
10 Javier Caballero (Mexico)
11 Tim Veldt (Netherlands)

Women - First women's keirin to Italy

By Karen Forman in Melbourne

Italy is the first women's junior world keirin champion.

One of the famous cycling nation's only two competitors, 17 year old agriculture student Elisa Frisconi, beat a strong field to win the gold medal on the first day of the 2002 Junior World Track Championships in Melbourne today. Second across the line was Japanese rider Tomoko Endo and Chinese rider Shi Wenya third. However commissaires later relegated the Japanese, giving Wenya the silver medal and Russian Anastasia Chulkova the bronze.

Shy Frisconi's coach said he had been impressed with his charge's time of 11.064 and had hoped she would have a chance. "She was very nervous," he said. "This is her first world championships."

The final field included Australian Lucy Stewart, Wenya, Frisconi, Chulk, Endo, and another Australian, Rebecca Borgo. The Italian rider drew first position and Stewart followed cleverly on her wheel. The Russian was third wheel with Borgo and the Chinese bunched up at the back. The speed remained constant after the derny pulled away and the Italian stayed at the front. However Stewart, who rode the event like a sprint, ever watchful of her competitors, was hard on her wheel.

At the bell the Japanese rider took the lead with Frisconi on her wheel and the two Australians last. The race came down to the Japanese and Italian, but in the end Frisconi was stronger and powered around the outside to take the gold medal.

Results

Qualifying
 
Heat 1 
 
1 Elisa Frisconi (Ita)                12.962 
2 Anastasia Chulkova (Russia)
3 Lucy Stewart (Australia)
4 Rachel Herring (USA) 
5 Mu Di (China)
6 Rosanne Chee (New Zealand)
 
Heat 2
 
1 Tomoko Endo (Japan)                 12.490 
2 Rebecca Borgo (Australia) 
3 Shi Wenya (China)
4 Ma. Fernanda Contreras (Mexico)
5 Anna Webb (USA)
dns Jennifer Strohschneider (Germany)
 
Repechage
 
Heat 1
 
Lucy Stewart (Australia)            to final
Ma. Fernanda Contreras (Mexico)
Mu Di (China)
 
Heat 2
 
Shi Wenya (China)                   to final
Rachel Herring (USA) 
Anna Webb (USA)
Rosanne Chee (New Zealand)
 
Finals
 
For 1st-6th
 
1 Elisa Frisconi (Italy)              12.399
2 Shi Wenya (China)
3 Anastasia Chulkova (Russia)
4 Lucy Stewart (Australia)
5 Rebecca Borgo (Australia)
6 Tomoko Endo (Japan)
 
*Tomoko Endo was relegated for deliberately riding
on the blue blue band during the race.
 
For 7th-11th
 
7 Rachel Herring (USA)                12.882
8 Mu Di (China)
9 Anna Webb (USA)
10 Rosanne Chee (New Zealand)
11 Ma. Fernanda Contreras (Mexico)

Program