World Track Championships - CM

Melbourne, Australia, May 26-30, 2004

Event program and results

Tales from the track

News and gossip from day 3 of the Melbourne World Track Championships

By Karen Forman in Melbourne

Tchalykh wins Russian battle for IP bronze

By Karen Forman in Melbourne

Tchalykh (right) on the women's IP podium
Photo ©: Mark Gunter

Elena Tchalykh knew it would be difficult to win a gold medal in the women's individual pursuit at the 2004 World Track Championships - because everyone was there with an Olympic dream just like her own.

The 30 year old Russian has contested every world championships since 1990, when she won the individual pursuit in England. While she hoped she might be in with a chance, she had been realistic about her chances of becoming the world's best again.

"It's an Olympic year so everybody is trying to do well enough to qualify for Athens," she said. "This is the last chance."

"Inside I was always hoping I would win the gold," she said. "But I didn't know if I could."

In the end she didn't, but Tchalykh, whose personal best time is two seconds outside New Zealander Sarah Ulmer's new world record of 3.30.604, did clinch the bronze medal after a gutsy ride against her Russian teammate Olga Slyusareva in 3.34.199 (3.36.943).

"I am very happy with this," the diminutive blonde told Cyclingnews in Russian through her team manager, Dimitri Bulat. "This is the only event I came to do and now I have qualified for Athens which is what I wanted to do. I will try to break the world record at the Olympics."

She doesn't think racing in the northern hemisphere again will change her performance much. "If you're ready it doesn't matter where you are."

A full-time bike rider, she is coached by her partner, with whom she hopes to have a baby after the Olympic Games. She won't be swapping her bicycles or nappies completely, however. "I will keep racing until I am really old. I don't feel I have done everything I wanted to yet."

Like her peers, she wants an Olympic gold.

Day 3 News from the Melbourne World Track Championships

By Karen Forman in Melbourne

• She finished a minute and 21 seconds behind the fastest qualifier, which left her in 21st (last) place and not able to move forward to the first round.That meant Algerian rider Cherifa Adda was still a very long way from her dream of Olympic selection, but still the proud 40 year old could not wipe the smile off her elated face at Melbourne's Vodafone Arena velodrome today.
• Melbourne looks to be in with a top chance to host the World Road Cycling Championships in 2009 or 2010. UCI president Hein Verbruggen told a press conference at Vodafone Arena tonight that he had been taken to see some possible courses during his visit for the World Track Championships and "Victoria has an excellent pro-sport climate".
• Elena Tchalykh knew it would be difficult to win a gold medal in the women's individual pursuit at the 2004 World Track Championships - because everyone was there with an Olympic dream just like her own.The 30 year old Russian has contested every world championships since 1990, when she won the individual pursuit in England. While she hoped she might be in with a chance, she had been realistic about her chances of becoming the world's best again.
• Two times Olympic sprint champion and twice world keirin champion, Jens Fiedler, will probably swap cycling for coaching and sport management and retire at the end of the year.The much decorated rider from Chemnitz, south of Berlin, who won gold in the sprints in Barcelona and Atlanta and was world keirin champion in 1998 and 1999, says he has already achieved all his dreams and it looks like the 2004 season could be his last.