Sunday 18 November 2012

Trott Continues Winning Ways

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Laura Trott's Midas touch continued with gold in the women's omnium on the final day of the Track World Cup in Glasgow.

Trott won team pursuit gold on day one of competition at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and was seeking her second title to complete a sensational year.

The 20-year-old won the fourth event, the individual pursuit, this morning but was seventh in the scratch race to fall behind Ashlee Ankudinoff overall by two points.

It meant she had to beat the Australian by a minimum of two places in the final event, the 500metres time-trial, to win - and she duly did.

Trott clocked 35.867 seconds to place second in the discipline, with Ankudinoff fourth to slip to second overall. Russia's Tamara Balabolina was third.

"I wanted to win - that is all it was," said the 20-year-old from Cheshunt, who expressed relief the weekend was over.

"I was in silver medal position and I was like 'I'm not having that, no way'. Coming into this being double world and Olympic champion and going home with silver... it just wasn't going to happen. I just love winning, I do, I love the feeling."

Trott was one of the stars of the London Games - she was reminded of that by a fan while having coffee with her parents this morning - but her focus is firmly on Rio de Janeiro and eventually surpassing Hoy's British record of six Olympic golds; something the Scot has backed her to do.

"I don't like not winning," she said.

"I am a bit worried (but) if I don't win another race now until Rio then so be it.

"The Olympics is the thing I want to win most and I want to get old Sir Chris Hoy's record."

Trott was fourth overnight after fourth place in the flying lap, ninth in the points race and first in the elimination race, a discipline which has become her speciality.

She won the fourth event, the individual pursuit, this morning but was seventh in the scratch race to fall behind Ashlee Ankudinoff overall by two points.

It meant she had to beat the Australian by a minimum of two places in the final event, the 500metres time-trial, to win - and she duly did.

Trott clocked 35.867 seconds to place second in the discipline, with Ankudinoff fourth to slip to second overall. Russia's Tamara Balabolina was third.

"Yesterday I was worried that I wouldn't even get a medal after the shaky start I had," Trott said.

"I knew the points race was going to go bad, it always does, but the flying lap I didn't expect to be that far down.

"I'm just so bad at bunch races, they always let me down, it doesn't matter how fit I am.

"I just have to do what I can in the 500m and normally it works."

Trott was a marked woman in the bunch events, the points and scratch races, standing out in her first appearance in the rainbow jersey of world champion.

"It was even harder because I'm such an obvious mark," she added.

"I've got bright bands around me. But it makes me think about it rather than roll around bored."

Trott was told by British Cycling head coach Shane Sutton that she could skip the omnium in Glasgow.

She added: "I just wanted to come and race. It's the only chance I've got to wear the stripes so who wouldn't want to do that in front of a home crowd?"

Trott combined with Dani King and Elinor Barker to win team pursuit gold on day one, when Jess Varnish and Becky James triumphed in the team sprint.

Commonwealth Games medallist James was fifth in the women's keirin final, while Varnish had to settle for third in the minor final and ninth overall.

The men's sprint competition began without Olympic champion Jason Kenny, who was absent following his crash in the keirin final on day two.

Philip Hindes was Britain's sole representative in the event and endured an eventful competition won by Germany's Stefan Boetticher.

He placed 10th in qualifying before meeting Pavel Kelemen in the first round.

First the Czech lost his balance on the banking, requiring a restart.

Then Hindes, as he passed the last lap bell, suffered a slipped chain which caused him to tumble to the track.

At the third attempt, Hindes hesitated and Kelemen won by a bike length as the Briton exited the competition.


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