Llaneras Defies Time To Claim Second Olympic Gold Medal
by Justin Davis
BEIJING, Aug 16, 2008 (AFP) - Spaniard Joan Llaneras produced a stunning display of endurance and sprint riding at the Laoshan Velodrome here Saturday to reclaim his Olympic crown in the men’s track cycling points race.
Germany’s Roger Kluge took the silver with Britain’s Christopher Newton taking the bronze.
Llaneras, 39, reclaimed the title he won at Sydney in 2000 after a stunning ride in the 160-lap race which he finished with 60 points.
Kluge, the halfway leader, finished on 58 with Newton on 56.
“The race was very difficult for the first part. Only in the second part could I go around the group twice for the Gold medal,” Llaneras said before paying tribute to his late Madison partner, Isaac Galvez who died in a tragic track cycling accident in November 2006
“I remember all the people who support me. At this very moment, I remember Isaac.”
Llaneras was relatively quiet in the early stages of the race but made one of several decisive moves two laps ahead of the bell signalling the 10th of the race’s 16 sprints where the first four riders over the line can respectively win five, three, two and one point.
Llaneras shouted at Kam Po Wong of Hong Kong to move out of his way as he chased down Milton Wynants of Uruguay, and after taking five points he continued his ride to gain a lap on the peloton, thus picking up 20 points.
That moved him up to second place but Llaneras was joined in the top five of the leader board by Newton and Kluge, who had followed his lead and took 20 points each.
Before the bell for the 13th sprint Llaneras and Newton then broke away together, the Spaniard taking five points to the Briton’s three.
Their pace then allowed them to gain a further 20 points each for gaining a lap on a tiring bunch, pushing Llaneras into first place ahead of Kluge with Newton moving up to second.
Kluge was pushed down into third place but the German picked up two points to Llaneras’s one when he burst ahead to take third place on the 14th sprint behind Vasili Kiryienka of Belarus and Greg Henderson of New Zealand.
Llaneras then went on to virtually secure his second Olympic gold when he held off Newton on the penultimate sprint, where he picked up two points to the Englishman’s one
“I knew in the penultimate sprint I had no more chance to get gold,” said Kluge. “The Spanish cyclist had too many points. I’m happy, it’s my first Olympics and I’ve been able to win a medal.”
Newton, in his fourth Olympics, was equally delighted to be on the podium.
“It means so much and I owe so much to my wife and baby girl back home. I haven’t seen them at all very much for the past year.”
Photo by: CorVos Pro
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