Published on : 12/10/2022 – 23:28
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France) (AFP) – Arrived with great ambition, the French team started the Track Cycling World Championships upside down with the early elimination of the speed and pursuit teams, Wednesday night in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
A year ago in Roubaix, Timmy Gillion, Sébastien Vigier and Rayan Helal opened the World Championships with a beautiful silver medal in the team sprint. They wanted to do at least the same this year on a track where their life’s goal will take place in less than two years: the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The French pursuers had also finished in silver in 2021 and also had great ambitions, like the whole team, after the success of the European Championships in August with fifteen medals, of which six were gold.
But nothing went as planned for the two Italian collectives.
After the controlled qualifiers, the speed trio clashed in the quarter-finals against Germany in a frustrating duel that was conditioned by the German starter’s false start.
When he stopped, Timmy Gillion, who had started in the lead for the Blues, did not hear the shot that interrupted the match. He kept pushing hard for almost half a turn before slowing down.
So much energy wasted that the French paid dearly for the second start.
“Change the game. I was a starter, it happened to me not to hear the firecracker and when you have to start quickly it is almost a lost race”, commented Grégory Baugé, quadruple world champion who became a national sprint coach.
“A bitter taste”
Germany eventually finished fourth, losing the bronze medal to Great Britain. In the final, Australia caused a sensation by dominating the Netherlands, undisputed masters of the sprint and four times reigning champions.
A few minutes later, the French pursuers completely disintegrated in the duel against Italian Filippo Ganna, the new hour record holder. Especially since Benjamin Thomas, who has been chained up a lot in recent weeks, was suffering from dizziness on Wednesday morning and was not at the top.
“It shows that there is still work to be done. It hurts, we expected something else, but maybe it’s a kick in the ass that will do good for the future. We have to get back to work,” stamina coach Steven reacted. Enrico.
The fact remains that these two setbacks are a real blow, while the president of the French Cycling Federation (FFC) Michel Callot recalled again after the opening ceremony that he was waiting for “results and that we are starting to show color, in particular in the Olympic disciplines “in view of 2024.
“This first day leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Of course we hoped for the best. This is the World Cup, we are at home, there was their family, the French audience. We are disappointed”, summed up Grégory Baugé.
Instead, he appreciated the performance of the French who failed in the same phase of the men’s competition in the team sprint, but beating their own record, in the face of a formidable competition. In particular that of Germany which has twice improved its world record by winning its third consecutive title.
The first gold medal of these World Championships was awarded to the Italian Martina Fidanza who maintained the title in women’s scratch, a discipline not in the Olympic program.
© 2022 AFP
