The Australian men’s team pursuit squad draw gasps from the Hong Kong crowd with a stunning time. The British team sprint trio return to the top by winning the final round of the World Cup and heading the final standings in Hong Kong. Update after the second day.
Men's team pursuit: youngsters show the way With a very young team (average age 19), Australia pulled a huge performance out of the bag on the Hong Kong track by winning the team pursuit. Sam Welsford, Alexander Porter, Miles Scotson and Rohan Wight produced an extraordinary time of 3:57.461. Wight, who is just out of the Junior category confided: "I'm absolutely delighted with this time. I’ve never got under four minutes before and we managed it twice on the same day. That's a really valuable experience." In the final, Australia dominated Denmark (4:00.894) while Great Britain (3:59.706) edged out Germany (4:00.608) for the final spot on the podium.
Final standings Winning the last two rounds (Cambridge and Hong Kong), Australia took the UCI Track Cycling World Cup title in the men's team pursuit for the third time in its history after victories in 2011 and 2014. Germany was second (662 points) ahead of Denmark (660 points).
Men's Team Sprint: Great Britain time it to perfection Fifth in the opening round in Cali and fourth in Cambridge, the Great Britain team demonstrated great form in Hong Kong while looking ahead to the UCI Track World Championships in London. Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny OBE and Callum Skinner won on the Asian track in 43.751 ahead of Poland (43.802). "We have raised our game in every round of the World Cup. It’s a very good sign for Rio. Securing the overall World Cup win on the final round proves that we got our preparation just right," said Hindes.
Great Britain had not won since the opening round of the 2014-2015 season in Guadalajara. Russia (43.910) got the better of Australia (44.409) for the final place on the podium.
Final standings Nine years after its last victory, the Great Britain team won the overall World Cup title for the men's team sprint. This was the fifth victory by the men in red white and blue since 1999. Great Britain finished with 552 points, ahead of Germany on 549 and the Polish team on 528.
Men's Keirin: Buchli wins Winner of the overall title in 2013 and 2014, the Dutch rider Matthijs Buchli won the Hong Kong round of the keirin. He narrowly beat Canada's Hugo Barrette on the line (+ 0.012). Barrette was making a spectacular comeback just a few months after a dramatic crash on the track in Cali. Korea’s Chaebin Im (+ 0.205) was third.
Final standings Winner of the first two rounds, Joachim Eilers drew a blank in the last event in Hong Kong. However, the German still won the UCI Track Cycling World Cup keirin title with a total of 300 points. Eilers, 25, is the first German to lift the keirin trophy. He finished ahead of Japanese rider Yuta Wakimoto (257 points) and the USA’s Matthew Baranoski (249 points).
Women's Sprint: China shows strength in depth While China will defend its world title in the team sprint in a few weeks, Lin Junhong won the individual sprint on the Hong Kong track. The Chinese rider got the better of the home favourite, Hong Kong's Wai Sze Lee, who received massive support from the crowd. The European champion from Russia Anastasiia Voinova took third ahead of Australia's Stephanie Morton (Jayco AIS).
Women's Team Pursuit: Canada on form The Canadian team had the perfect end to its UCI Track Cycling World Cup campaign with another victory in Hong Kong. Jasmine Glaesser, Laura Brown, Stephanie Roorda and Georgia Simmerling (4:19.737) got the better of Great Britain (4:20.034). "Our girls have worked very hard to reach this point and I couldn't be more proud of their concentration, determination and how they responded to the pressure" said Erin Hartwell, coach of the winning team.
The United States finished third (4:21.412) ahead of China (4:26.540).
Final standings Canada added a second overall win in the women's team pursuit after 2014. Winning the rounds in Cali and Cambridge, they finished the season with 870 points, ahead of the United States (736 points) and Great Britain (674 points). The next target for Canada's women is the world title!
Women's Team Sprint: Rusvelo lead the way After Chinese victories in the first two rounds, the Rusvelo pair of Daria Shmleva and Anastasiia Voinova (500 metre world record holder) won in 33.035. The Russian women got the better of the British (33.625). In the bronze medal final, Spain (33.541) edged out Canada (33.658).
Final standings China (390 points), winner of the first two rounds, won the overall World Cup title. This was the third victory for China after 2011 and 2012. Spain (308 points), third on the podium in Hong Kong, came second overall, ahead of Canada (300 points).
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong concludes on Sunday. Follow the action live at tv.uci.ch