Day Three
Results, copy from the
UCI BMX World Champs - PHOTOS TO FOLLOW
Strombergs and Reade reclaim their world titles
Pietermaritzburg – It was a case of call
back the past when Latvian Maris Strombergs and Briton Shanaze Reade
reclaimed the UCI BMX World Championship men’s and women’s titles
respectively in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday – but the real hero for the
partisan South African crowd was men’s runner up Sifiso Nhlapo.
For the local crowd
the men’s final result was a bitter sweet conclusion to the day’s racing
as they celebrated Nhlapo’s silver medal with the thought about how close
he came to pulling off the biggest upset of the year on the world BMX
circuit.
For Nhlapo it was
simply another step on his tough journey to glory. After finishing third
in the 2008 World Championships, Skizo as he is known was forced to watch
the 2009 World Champs after he broke his neck in a horrific training
crash. So to end second is a step forward and victory in 2011 would simply
be the continuation of a progression.
Strombergs was
without doubt the deserved winner and he was never headed in a frenetic
day of racing that saw an unhealthy sprinkling of thrills and spills on
the purpose-built track at the Royal Showgrounds.
Frenchman Joris
Daudet claimed the bronze medal in the men’s event after pre-event
favourite Sam Willoughby went down in a big crash on the first corner.
In the women’s
final, talented Reade added more World Championship gold to her trophy
cabinet that already includes medals from two BMX World Championships and
the 2007 and 2008 World Track Championships.
Reade regained the
world title when she outrode the opposition from the start ramp by
powering to the hole shot, although she was given a bit of help when her
biggest challenger, Frenchwomen Laetitia le Corguille slipped a cleat and
was left off the pace from the start.
New Zealand’s Sarah
Walker claimed the silver and American Alise Post the bronze medal but
neither ever came close to the fast-starting Reade.
Nhlapo spent all day
chasing 2008 World and Olympic Champion Maris Strombergs after the two
were coincidently drawn together in the heats, quarter-finals and
semi-finals, but only the most partisan South Africans would begrudge the
Latvian his victory after he went throughout the day unbeaten.
In the junior
women’s final, Netherland’s Merle van Benthem grabbed the hole shot and
beat off the challenge of American Brooke Crain and Australian Melinda
McLeod.
The junior men’s
race was loaded with drama as US favourite Connor Fields went to the front
as expected and looked to be on his way to an easy win, but he took the
rhythm section too fast and crashed heavily, allowing Frenchman Slyvian
Andre to grab the win from Kristers Lejins (Latvia) and Twan van Gendt
(Netherlands).
In the semi-finals
there was not shortage of drama with favourites crashing out and the home
country hero Nhlapo producing arguably the ride of the competition to
snatch a place in the final after a disastrous start.
In the second men’s
semi, the home crowd were devastated when Nhlapo went into the first
corner seventh, but he dropped down low and came out fourth. Then, on the
second last straight it looked as if the effort had proved too much and
the young South African dropped briefly to fifth before overtaking
Argentinian Ramiro Marino for a second time to grab the final spot in the
final.
Earlier there was
heartbreak for a few top contenders as crashes and bad luck robbed the
finals of some of the potential champions.
In the junior men’s
event, American Corben Sharrah had looked unbeatable with three wins in
his heats and victory in his quarter-final, but in the semi-final he
crashed heavily on the second straight while lying second and looking good
for a place in the final. As if that was not enough, Brazilian Hugo Osteti,
who moved into third when Sharrah crashed, then went down with a place in
the final certain
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
MEN:
1.Maris Strombergs (LAT) 38.391
2.Sifiso Nhlapo (RSA) +0.487 2,
3.Joris Daudet (FRA) +0.686
4.Thomas Hamon (FRA) +1.340
5.Raymon Van der Biezen (NED) +1.487
6.Marc Willers (NZL) +1:01.301
7.Sam Willoughby (AUS) +1:01.349
8.Khalen Young (AUS) +1:01.414
WOMEN:
1.Shanaze Reade (GBR) 38.819
2.Sarah Walker (NZL) +1.096
3.Alise Post (USA) +1.624
4.Annelie Despeaux (FRA) +2.986
5.Aneta Hladikova (CZE) +3.411
6.Rachel Bracken (AUS) +4.212
7.Laetitia le Corguille (FRA) +34.963
8.Arielle Martin (USA)
JUNIOR MEN:
1.Sylvian Andre (FRA) 38.822
2.Kristers Lejins (LAT) +1.012
3.Twan van Gendt (NED) +1.407
4.David Oquendo Zabala (COL) +1.639
5.Matthew Dunsworth (AUS) +2.033
6.Niclas Laustsen (DEN) +2.462
7.Taims Kristers (LAT) +13.667
8.Connor Fields (USA)
JUNIOR WOMEN:
1.Merle Von Bentheim (NED) 40.946
2.Brook Crain (USA) +0.158
3.Melinda Mcleod (AUS) +0.658
4.Taylor Wolcott (USA) +1.394
5.Enora le Roux (FRA) +3.626
6.Bianca Quinalha (BRA) +3.811
7.Mayara Perez (BRA) +8.189
8.Kirsten Dellar (AUS) +32.572
ENDS
