WORLD TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS: IRVINE FINISHES A SOLID TENTH

Irish rider Martyn Irvine today finished up what was a very solid season with a fine tenth place in the Omnium event at the world track championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. The result came one day after team-mate Caroline Ryan was ninth in the women’s individual pursuit.

Irvine’s competition was won by Australian rider Michael Freiberg, who won the scratch race and placed highly in the other races. He clocked up 34 points in all, with Shane Archbold (New Zealand) on 38 and Gijs Van Hoecke (Belgium) on 41. The points are determined by totalling up the placings in each event, and so the lowest score wins. Irvine’s total was 62.

He got off to a solid start in the first of three events held yesterday. He recorded a time of 13.628 seconds for the 200 metre flying lap, netting seventh. Zach Bell (Canada) won with a time of 13.32.

Irvine was then eleventh in the 30 kilometre points race and 15th in the Elimination event, putting him eleventh overall at the halfway point.

Racing resumed this morning and Irvine came out of the blocks in good shape. He recorded a time of four minutes 33.007 seconds for the individual pursuit, finishing seventh. Alexey Markov (Russian Federation) was best in a time of 4 minutes 25 .025.

Two races remained after that. He was 14th in the scratch race, dropping a lap to the first seven finishers, then rode better in the concluding kilometre time trial. He was eighth there, covering the distance in one minute 5.095 seconds. The quickest time was the one minute 3.879 set by Shane Archbold (New Zealand).

Yesterday, Ryan was a solid ninth in the women’s individual pursuit. She covered the 3000 kilometre distance in a time of 3 minutes 44.264 seconds in qualifying. American Sarah Hammer was quickest in that opening round with a time of 3 minutes 33.522, 0.267 faster than her Kiwi rival Alison Shanks.

Hammer went on to beat Shanks in the gold medal final, while Vilija Sereikaite (Lithuania) got the better of Jaime Nielsen (New Zealand) for bronze.

Ryan is making good progress in the sport and, like Irvine, the former rower should continue to improve.

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UCI Track World Championships, March 23-27 2011

March 25-26, Men's Omnium:

200m flying lap:

1, Zachary Bell (Canada) 13.320 secs
2, Bryan Coquard (France) 13.362 secs
3, Alois Kankovsky (Czech Republic) 13 .378
4, Shane Archbold (New Zealand) at 13 .457
5, Tim Veldt (Netherlands) at 13 .517
6, Samuel Harrison (Great Britain mins 13 .612

Other:

7, Martyn Irvine (Ireland) at 13 .628

30km points race:

1, Juan Esteban Arango Carvajal (Colombia) 36 pts
2, Luis Mansilla (Chile) 35
3, Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spain) 34
4, Lasse Norman Hansen (Denmark) 33
5, Michael Freiberg (Australia) 32
6, Alexey Markov (Russian Federation) 31

Other:

11, Martyn Irvine (Ireland) 6

Elimination race:

1, Bryan Coquard (France)
2, Elia Viviani (Italy)
3, Luis Mansilla (Chile)
4, Shane Archbold (New Zealand)
5, Michael Freiberg (Australia)
6, Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spain)

Other:

15, Martyn Irvine (Ireland)


Race 4 - individual pursuit

1, Alexey Markov (Russian Federation) at 4 mins 25 .025
2, Shane Archbold (New Zealand) at 4 mins 25 .826
3, Lasse Norman Hansen (Denmark) at 4 mins 28 .693
4, Juan Esteban Arango Carvajal (Colombia) at 4 mins 30 .002
5, Michael Freiberg (Australia) at 4 mins 30 .142
6, Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spain 4 mins 30 .642

Other:

7, Martyn Irvine (Ireland) at 4 mins 33 .007


Race 5 - scratch race

1, Michael Freiberg (Australia)
2, Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spain)
3, Gijs Van Hoecke (Belgium)
4, Alexey Markov (Russian Federation)
5, Ho Ting Kwok (Hong Kong, China)
6, Zachary Bell (Canada)

Other:

14, Martyn Irvine (Ireland) at 1 lap


Race 6 - kilometre time trial:

1, Shane Archbold (New Zealand) at 1 min 3 .879
2, Tim Veldt (Netherlands) at 1 min 4 .093
3, Samuel Harrison (Great Britain 1 min 4 .325
4, Juan Esteban Arango Carvajal (Colombia) at 1 min 4 .338
5, Gijs Van Hoecke (Belgium) at 1 min 4 .451
6, Michael Freiberg (Australia) at 1 min 4 .729

Other:

8, Martyn Irvine (Ireland) at 1 min 5 .095


Final standings:

1, Michael Freiberg (Australia) 34 pts
2, Shane Archbold (New Zealand) 38
3, Gijs Van Hoecke (Belgium) 41
4, Eloy Teruel Rovira (Spain) 46
5, Juan Esteban Arango Carvajal (Colombia) 47
6, Zachary Bell (Canada) 52

Other:

10, Martyn Irvine (Ireland) 62


March 25, Women's Individual Pursuit:

1, Sarah Hammer (United States Of America) 3 kilometres in 3 mins 33 secs.522
2, Alison Shanks (New Zealand) 3 mins 33 secs.789
3, Vilija Sereikaite (Lithuania) 3 mins 38 secs.073
4, Jaime Nielsen (New Zealand) 3 mins 38 secs.921
5, Ellen Van Dijk (Netherlands) 3 mins 40 secs.751
6, Marlies Mejias Garcia (Cuba) 3 mins 42 secs.158
7, Pascale Schnider (Switzerland) 3 mins 42 secs.764
8, Lauren Ellis (New Zealand) 3 mins 44 secs.165
9, Caroline Ryan (Ireland) 3 mins 44 secs.264

Finals :

For gold :

1, Sarah Hammer (United States Of America) 3 mins 32.933
2, Alison Shanks (New Zealand) 3 mins 33.229

For bronze :

3, Vilija Sereikaite (Lithuania) 3 mins 37.643
4, Jaime Nielsen (New Zealand) 3 mins 40.138