St-Quentin-en-Yvelines (Aug. 11, 2024) – Canadian cyclists wrapped up their Paris 2024 Olympic adventure on the final day of competition at the St-Quentin-en-Yvelines national velodrome on Aug. 11.
In the cumulative women’s omnium, Maggie Coles-Lyster of Maple-Ridge, British Columbia, held the crowd spellbound, finishing second in the scratch race, collecting 38 points. In the tempo race, she finished tenth, collecting 22 points. The elimination race, where she collected 36 points, put her in third place heading into the final race of the event, the points race. In medal position, she was unable to pick up any more points, collecting 101 points to finish in 9th place.
“That points race is really chaotic and there are a lot of girls here who are really strong at taking laps,” said Coles-Lyster. “It’s bittersweet; I was happy after the first three races and proud of how I raced. I was hoping for more, for sure.”
American Jennifer Valente took top honours, accompanied on the podium by Poland’s Daria Pikulik in silver and New Zealand’s Ally Wollaston.
In the men’s keirin, Ontario’s Nick Wammes of Bothwell and James Hedgecock of Ancaster, who had been able to reach the quarterfinals, all finished sixth in their respective heats, not allowing them to advance any further in the rounds. Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen won his third Olympic title, joined on the podium by Australians Matthew Richardson and Matthew Glaetzer in silver and bronze.
“I definitely got stuck in the back, the whole race bunched up into a wall,” said Hedgecock. “I’m disappointed I didn’t make it through, but the legs felt good, and I kept up. The Olympics have been my dream and I’m hoping that in four years’ time, I’ll be able to get a medal. It’s my first Games, I’m one of the youngest guys out there, so in a way I can look forward to LA2028.”
In the individual sprint classification waves, Alberta’s Kelsey Mitchell of Sherwood Park, who had been eliminated by Germany’s Lea Friederich in the quarterfinals, finished eighth. Friedrich took silver behind New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews, while Britain’s Emma Finucane took bronze.
Further information, including results and the full schedule of events, is available at olympics.com This concludes Canada’s performances at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where cyclists have been performing since July 27.
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