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A16 sports
Friday 4 august 2023

American star Chloe Dygert romps to individual pursuit title at

cycling world championships

By Dave Skretta at Dygert to “catch her”
Associated Press — because Dygert sud-
Chloe Dygert insisted in the denly found herself on the
week leading up to the same straightaway with her
cycling world champion- competition. She moved
ships that she wasn't quite around Brausse on the out-
in form yet. The American side to claim the gold med-
track star was still by far the al.
best in the world Thursday. “Wearing the rainbow
The 26-year-old from Indi- stripes is always an honor,”
ana, who has overcome a Dygert said, “and I'm proud
career-threatening crash to be able to wear them
and several other setbacks again.”
over the past three years, It was an emphatic start
roared to victory in the in- for Dygert to a busy world
dividual pursuit for the first championships, which for
elite gold medal of worlds. the first time are bring-
In fact, Dygert was so far ing together nearly all of
ahead of her opponent in the cycling disciplines in
the finals, defending cham- one place and one time.
pion Franziska Brausse, that Dygert will also compete
she passed the German on in the team pursuit in the
the final lap. velodrome, then head
Dygert stopped the clock in USA's Chloe Dygert celebrates winning gold in the Women's Elite Individual Pursuit on day one of outside for the road race
3 minutes, 17.926 seconds, the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow, Scotland, and time trial, two events
a time that was slowed by Thursday Aug. 3, 2023. in which she recently won
the pass and would oth- (Tim Goode/PA via AP) national titles.
erwise have challenged knowledged later that she Earlier in the day, defend-
for her own world record. was nowhere near her best ing men's team pursuit
Brausse finished more than level. That was still a ways champion Britain crashed
eight seconds back for sil- off. Dygert also had to deal out in qualifications when
ver, and Bryony Botha of with the Epstein-Barr virus, Charlie Tanfield fell alone
New Zealand rallied from a heart procedure to treat on the final bend and was
nearly two seconds down a condition she had dealt unable to cross the finish
to beat Britain's Neah Evans with for a decade, and line. Tanfield was able to
for bronze. then another crash during walk off the track on his
“It's been a long three a training camp earlier this own, but British Cycling said
years to get back here,” year that kept her off the in a statement that he was
Dygert said. “The goal is al- bike until March. Hard to taken to the hospital for
ways to go faster, but this imagine what Dygert's best “further treatment.”
ride felt good.” could be after her perfor- The Danish team of Nik-
In the women's team sprint, Netherland's Daniel Abraham Gebru, left, celebrates winning mance Thursday. las Larsen, Carl-Frederik
the German trio of Lea the Men's C5 Scratch Race with compatriot Martin van de Pol After setting the fastest Brevort, Frederik Madsen
Sophie Friedrich, Pauline on day one of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships at qualifying time, Dygert and Lasse Leth was the
Grabosch and Emma Hinze the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday Aug. roared from the standing fastest qualifier with a time
3, 2023.
broke the world record (Tim Goode/PA via AP) start and opened up a half- of 3:46.816. That was more
in the finals with a time of second lead on Brausse by than 2 seconds ahead of
45.848 seconds. Britain took Kazushige Kuboki of Ja- on a right-hand turn on the end of the first lap. Per- New Zealand and another
second in a potential pre- pan took the silver medal the roads near Imola, and fectly still on her pink han- 3-plus seconds ahead of
view of next year's finals and Tuur Dens of Belgium Dygert crashed heavily dlebars, and with Dygert's Italy.
at the Paris Olympics, and earned the bronze. over a guardrail and down trademark pink socks spin- In men's team sprint quali-
defending Olympic cham- Dygert was widely consid- a steep embankment. ning in perfect rhythm, she fying, the heavily favored
pion China beat the Neth- ered the best in the world in She sustained serious inju- stretched the lead to 1.2 Dutch team of Jeffrey
erlands for bronze. endurance events heading ries to her leg that required seconds by the first kilo- Hoogland, Harrie Lavreysen
William Tidball of Britain into the 2020 time trial world multiple operations, and meter and tripled that ad- and Roy van den Berg had
won the men’s scratch championships in Italy. And while Dygert managed to vantage by the end of the the fastest time of 42.046
race before a home crowd she was well ahead of the come back to compete second. seconds. Australia qualified
in Glasgow, Scotland, with winning pace that day at the pandemic-delayed At that point, U.S. coach second and Poland was
his dramatic last-lap pass. before her bike wiggled Tokyo Games, she ac- Gary Sutton began yelling third.q