2011-12 UCI Track World Cup Round 3
Event: 12-15 January 2012
Location: Beijing, China
Report: Scott Hobro
Great Britain took to the Laoshan Velodrome for the final day of the UCI Beijing Track World Cup with the men’s sprint and madison as well as women’s keirin events on the agenda.
George Atkins with coach Chris Newton ahead of the madison
The afternoon session began with madison qualifying as George Atkins and Owain Doull managed two points in the final sprint in heat 1, enough for eighth place and a spot in the evening session’s final. The Korean pair of Seon Ho Park and Sungbaek Park took the heat with eight points over Belgium with seven points and France in third with six points.
The men’s sprint competition then began with Great Britain’s presence coming in the form of Peter Mitchell and Callum Skinner with the top 16 progressing to the knockout stages. Mitchell, who had competed in the team sprint on day 2 in China, registered 10.315, progressing in twelfth. An addition of just over an tenth of a second on Mitchell’s time, 10.454, left Callum Skinner twenty-sixth, exiting the contest.
Having already took to the track for the team and individual sprint contests during the weekend, Victoria Williamson and Becky James lined up in the keirin qualifiers. But both riders would be forced to settle for the repechage – James finishing third in heat 3 as China’s Mu Di finished first in 12.257 seconds whilst Williams ended heat 4 in sixth, which was again taken by a home nation rider as Junhong Lin won in 12.238 seconds, both Chinese riders representing trade teams.
Whilst James and Williamson prepared for the repechage, Pete Mitchell came against Russian Sergei Borisov in the last 16 of the men’s sprint. The Russian clocked a time six-tenths of a second slower than in qualifying and slower than Mitchell’s previous effort, but 10.882 seconds was enough to edge out the youngster, placing Mitchell into the B quarter-finals.
James and Williamson were then offered a route back into the keirin contest via the repechage but neither could progress, both finishing third in heats 2 and 4 respectively and with it bringing a valuable four day experience to an end. Mitchell’s, however, was not over and he guaranteed another outing on the boards by overcoming France’s Francois Pervis with a time of 10.843 in the B quarter-final.
It would be Japan’s Kazunari Watanabe who would end Mitchell’s run in the B semi-finals, 10.424 the time which would set up a B final against China’s Qi Tang who beat Australian Andrew Taylor in the other last four encounter. Great Britain’s final participation in the World Cup meeting came in the madison final, but it was to be the Czech Republic who took gold, taking a lap on second place Belgium with Spain third. GB pairing Owain Doull and George Atkins finished eleventh, two laps down on the winners.
Results - (Full results and analysis - Tissot Timing site)
Men’s madison qualifying – Heat 1
1. Korea 8
PARK Seon Ho
PARK Sungbaek
2. Belgium 7
DE KETELE Kenny
MERTENS Tim
3. France 6
COQUARD Bryan
BRISSE Vivien
8. Great Britain 2
ATKINS George
DOULL Owain
Men’s sprint
Qualifying
1. ZHANG Lei CHN 10.138
2. ZHANG Miao CHN 10.149
3. NJISANE Phillip TRI 10.186
12. MITCHELL Peter GBR 10.315
26. SKINNER Callum GBR 10.454
Last 16
1. BORISOV Sergei MTT 10.882
2. MITCHELL Peter GBR
Quarter-finals B
1. MITCHELL Peter GBR 10.843
2. PERVIS Francois FRA
Semi-finals B
1. WATANABE Kazunari CCT 10.424
2. MITCHELL Peter GBR
Women’s kerin
Qualifying
Heat 3
1. DI Mu HKP
2. STRELTSOVA Olga MTT
3. JAMES Rebecca GBR
4. XU Yulei MSP
5. GAVIRIA Juliana COL
6. I Fang Ju TPE
Heat 4
1. LIN Junhong GPC
2. BREZHNIVA Elena RUS
3. LEE Wai Sze HKG
4. GUERRA RODRIGUEZ Lisandra CUB
5. VALENTE Jennifer USA
6. WILLIAMSON Victoria GBR
7. LOHVINAVA Maryia BLR
First round repechage
Heat 2
1. SULLIVAN Monique CAN
2. XU Yulei MSP
3. WILLIAMSON Victoria GBR
4. CASAS ROIGE Helena ESP
5. VILERA Mariesthela VEN
Heat 4
1. BREZHNIVA Elena RUS
2. CALVO BARBERO Tania ESP
3. JAMES Rebecca GBR
4. DIAO Xiao Juan HKG
5. TAGLIAFERRO Marta FFA
