SULLIVAN FINISHES FOURTH IN FINAL DAY OF TRACK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Ottawa, ON – February 22, 2015) Canada’s Monique Sullivan just missed the podium in the women’s Keirin at the 2015 UCI Track World Championships on Sunday, finishing 4th. It is Sullivan’s best-ever world championship result and caps five days of competition that saw Canada win two bronze medals and a total of four top-8 results.
Sullivan qualified in a minimum number of rides to make the gold medal final in the Keirin and rode a strong race, just getting pipped by Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez (Cuba) in the final metres for the bronze. Anna Meares (Australia) won gold and Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands) the silver.
“Today was a great day on the boards,” said Sullivan. “I really owe this one to the team and everyone who supported me. There’s been a push to the sprint program and my result is a testament to that. To have a dedicated sprint coach really helps the program and it makes a difference.”
“The goal is always to win a medal, but today I focussed on not wanting it. You want it so bad, but I just focussed on the process, and told myself ‘it’s about position’. In the early rounds especially I executed my rides well and I wasn’t scared to race my race, I’m not just following wheels. Just don’t be scared, everyone is beatable.”
Jacques Landry, Director of High Performance for Cycling Canada, summed up the Canadian performance, “Overall, I am satisfied with this week of competition. We as a program are tracking well with performances at the international level all the while building depth through our development programs. The women’s endurance successes this week are a product of great leadership by our coach Craig [Griffin] and also determination and commitment from the women in our program.”
“On the sprint side of things, the resurgence of Monique in the Keirin will serve as a catalyst from which we can continue to integrate a high performance culture within our ranks. We’ve only started seeing what our sprint athletes are capable of. With our sprint coach Erin providing great technical and tactical expertise on a daily in our new home in Milton, there is no doubt in my mind that through patience and hard work we will deliver performances at Games to come.”
“I am proud of the athletes and staff that we have in our program right now. We have all the ingredients to become a strong and confident track cycling nation.”
Text courtesy of Rob Jones/Canadian Cyclist
