Olympic champion Laura Trott won omnium gold and Becky James claimed silver in the keirin as Great Britain’s Manchester medal rush continued on the final day of the first World Cup event of the 2013/14 season.
Trott’s success ensured she joined fellow team pursuiter Joanna Rowsell in claiming two gold medals from the event after their world record-breaking win on the Friday night.
Welsh woman James meanwhile took her own medal tally to two, following her silver medal in the team sprint with Vicky Williamson.
Trott lay sixth overnight at the half-way stage of the omnium, but won two of the three remaining events to take gold ahead of Canada’s Gillian Carleton.
She started by producing a blistering individual pursuit to finish second in the event to Carleton in the day’s first test.
Her time of 3:34.293 was faster than team mate Rowsell managed in winning individual pursuit gold the previous night, and moved her up to fourth overall.
And Britain’s track queen moved into the overall lead following the penultimate event – the scratch race – after jumping clear of the group early in the race to gain a solo lap.
Only Poland’s Malgorzata Wojtyra – who attacked almost from the gun – was able to match Trott by gaining a lap and the Briton showed great tactical sense to latch onto Wojtyra’s wheel before passing her on the final lap to comfortably win the event.
Typically not the strongest event for the 21-year-old, it earned Trott a three-point lead over Carleton heading into the 500m time trial, and she sealed victory in style by winning the final event in 35.331.
Keirin world champion, James, meanwhile won both of the event’s qualifying rounds but missed out to in-form German rival Kristina Vogel in the final.
James led the six finalists behind the derny bike but Vogel moved into the lead ahead of the final lap and stayed in front to win her third gold medal of the weekend, with the Welsh ace having left herself too much ground to recover.
In the day’s other events, Matt Crampton lost to Australian Shane Perkins (Team Jayco-AIS) in the men’s sprint ‘B’ final, missing out on a medal despite an impressive showing on the day.
Olympic champion Jason Kenny suffered an early exit in the same event too, failing to finish in the top 16 in qualifying after posting a disappointing time of 10.154.
Elinor Barker finished 11th in the women’s points final, and Owain Doull 10th in the men’s scratch race – the final event of the weekend, which saw fellow Brit Jonathan Mould (Team USN) take bronze.
Although Germany earned more gold medals, Britain’s total haul meant they became the early World Cup leaders with events to come in Mexico in January and an as yet unconfirmed third venue next year.
Pictures used with kind permission of SWpixcyclingphotos.com.
