Lisandra Guerra Wins Track Gold For Cuba
Guerra gives little Cuba welcome track gold
MANCHESTER, England, March 27, 2008 (AFP) - Cuba’s track cycling reputation was given another boost here at the world championships, but new world 500 metre champion Lisandra Guerra says it is only the beginning.
Guerra confirmed a sterling season on the boards Wednesday to finally land the time trial crown having won the silver last year and bronze in 2006.
The 20-year-old might have finished outside her personal best, but her time of 34.021sec blew Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania off the podium and left 19-year-old Frenchwoman Sandie Clair with the bronze.
“It’s a huge result for me and for Cuba,” Guerra told AFP.
“We might be a small country and not have the finances of a lot of other track teams, but we can still produce champions.”
Guerra’s triumph came in the absence of Australia’s world and Olympic champion Anna Meares, who is still recovering from the injuries sustained in a heavy crash at Los Angeles in January.
Nevertheless, Guerra has still been the woman to beat this season, her victories in Beijing and Los Angeles all but securing the 500 meter World Cup trophy before the final leg in Copenhagen.
Like the men’s 1km event, the women’s 500 meter time trial is no longer part of the Olympic program.
That means Guerra will compete in the sprint at the Olympics, where the path to the final stages is long and takes a far heavier toll on mind and body.
In Denmark Guerra raced in the sprint instead, and her past sprint results - including just missing out on the bronze to Meares at the Worlds last year - bode well for her ambitions in Beijing.
“The sprint is definitely a more difficult event to compete in, but I think I can do something in Beijing,” said Guerra, who has honed her skills at the World Cycling Center (WCC) in Switzerland for the past two years.
“But I’ve been working on my speed in the sprint, but I have also been working with my coach on my tactics.
“Right now I feel very happy, despite the fact the 500m is no longer an Olympic event. I’ve trained really hard for this title this season.”
Guerra’s winning time Wednesday was outside the pace she has set this season. The little Cuban has twice gone under 34secs in World Cup competition.
Meares’ world record of 33.588 was set at last year’s world championships in Mallorca.
“I was looking forward to competing against Anna but she couldn’t be here.
I admire her as an athlete,” added Guerra, who said she is already looking towards chipping a few hundredths off her world mark.
“I hope to continue progressing in the 500.
“I’m only 20 years old, and I believe anything is possible. Next year, I hope I can beat Anna’s world record.”
Yumari Gonzalez handed Cuba their second world track cycling from the women’s scratch in 2007, having already claimed the title in 2004.
Categories: News
Tags:
Leave a Reply