SANTIAGO :Dutch riders Hetty van de Wouw and Lorena Wiebes each claimed their second world title at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships on Friday, capping another dominant day for the Netherlands in the Chilean capital.
In the women’s sprint, Van de Wouw beat Japan’s Mina Sato in two heats to become only the second Dutch woman to win the event after Ingrid Haringa in 1991.
The 24-year-old added to the team sprint gold she won on Wednesday with Steffie van der Peet and Kimberly Kalee. “I can’t quite believe it yet. It’s super cool,” Van de Wouw said.
“I was confident because I already felt very strong yesterday. When I beat Ellesse Andrews, Olympic champion, in the quarterfinals, I thought: okay, I’m good. But to become world champion is really bizarre.”
Wiebes won the women’s omnium, regaining control in the final sprint after France’s Marion Borras had briefly taken the lead by lapping the field. The victory marked her third world title in two weeks, following triumphs in the scratch race and Gravel World Championships.
“So much can happen in an omnium. This is of course what you hope for, but I didn’t quite expect it,” Wiebes said.
“When I still felt strong in the elimination race, I got confident. Winning three titles in two weeks is the icing on the cake of a great season.”
The championships continue this weekend with the kilometre time trial and keirin events, where Van de Wouw will again be in action.
Britain’s Josh Charlton secured his first world title with victory in the Individual Pursuit by defeating Rasmus Pedersen of Denmark in the final and American Anders Johnson took third place.
Fellow Briton Josh Tarling won the men’s points race, finishing ahead of American Peter Moore and France’s Clement Petit.
