Hansen impresses again amid solid New Zealand performance
18 January 2016, 9:37AM
Sports Media New Zealand
UCI TRACK CYCLING WORLD CUP HONG KONG - NZ WRAP DAY 3
New Zealand has completed its UCI Track World Cup programme with most key rankings inside the world’s top 10 as they now refocus for the upcoming world championships.
The 2013 world champion Aaron Gate finished in a solid eighth place in the men’s omnium competition at the final world cup in Hong Kong overnight.
Women’s sprinter Natasha Hansen continued her improving form to make the semifinal in the keirin after a best ninth placing in the sprint on the previous day.
Overall after the three Track World Cup, New Zealand finished with a ranking of seventh in both men’s and women’s team pursuit and ninth in the men and 10th in the women in team sprint.
Eddie Dawkins is ranked 10th and Sam Webster 17th in sprint with Hansen up to 13th in the women. Dawkins is 17th and Zac Williams 19th after both completed just one of the three rounds in keirin, with Hansen 12th, while Gate is eighth in the omnium and Edmondson 23rd.
Hansen won her opening heat of the keirin ahead of London Olympic medallist Wai Sze Lee (HGK) with an impressive move. She was aggressive in the semifinal but was swamped in the straight to finish fifth.
However Hansen was again emphatic in winning the ride for seventh to 12th placings to achieve her best Track World Cup finish.
Gate was a little off his best times in both the time trial and flying lap but was energetic in finishing eighth in the points race to be ninth overall.
Matt Archibald qualified in the men’s sprint in 16th with a time of 10.134s headed by Poland’s Damien Zielinski in 9.918.
But Archibald went out in the first round to Great Britain’s Callum Skinner.
Coaches will await the final UCI world qualifying placings before finalising their plans for the upcoming world championships to be staged in the Olympic Velodrome in London in March.
Results:
Men sprint qualifying: Damien Zielinski (POL) 9.919, 1; Philip Njisane (TTO) 9.990, 2; Pavel Kelemen (CZE) 10.010, 3. Also: Matt Archibald (NZL) 10.134, 16; Zac Williams 10.318, 29. Round 1: Archibald lost to Callum Skinner (GBR).
Women omnium, 500m time trial: Mei Hsiao (TPE) 35.164, 1; Laurie Berthon (FRA) 35.259, 2; Sakura Tsukagoshi (JPN) 35.677, 3. Also: Holly Edmondson 37.375, 21. Flying Lap: Berthon 13.993, 1; Alison Beveridge (CAN) 14.049, 2; Laura Trott (GB R) 14.163, 3. Also: Edmondson 15.065, 22. Points: Jannie Sambrano (COL) 28, 1; Xiao Diao (HGK) 27, 2; Edmondson 22, 3.
Overall: Trott 188points, 1; Sarah Hammer (USA) 170, 2; Berthon 170, 3. Also: Edmondson 64, 17.
Men omnium, 100m time trial: Adrian Teklinski (POL) 1:02.650, 1; Lasse Norman Hansen (DEN) 1:03.317, 2; Scott Law (AUS) 1:03.709, 3. Also: Aaron Gate (NZL) 1:06.027, 18. Flying Lap: Teklinski 13.026, 1; Law 13.127, 2; Gael Suter (SUI) 13.186, 3. Also: Gate 13.656, 16. Points: Ignacio Prado (MEX) 39 points, 1; Hansen 31, 2; Thomas Boudat (FRA) 27, 3.
Overall: Boudat 181, 1; Norman 175, 2; Artyon Zakharov (KAZ) 172, 3. Also: Gate: 119, 9.
Women Keirin, round 1, heat 2: Natasha Hansen (NZL) 1; Wai Sze Lee (HGK) 2. Semifinal: Hansen 5th.
Fifth to 8th: Hansen 1, Shuang Guo (CHN) 2, Helena Casas Roige(ESP) 3. 1st to 6th: Simona Krupeckaite (LTU) 1, Stephanie Morton (AUS) 2, Lee 3.
CAPTIONS: Natasha Hansen wins her first round of the Keirin and Matt Archibald in qualifying at the Track World Cup in Hong Kong. Credit: Guy Swarbrick.
Details: www.cyclingnewzealand.nz or www.trackworkdcup.hk