Genest with Canada’s best performance on Day 2 of Santiago track Worlds

Lauriane Genest, keirin bronze medalist in the Tokyo Olympic Games, had Canada’s best performance on Thursday’s second day of action at the 2025 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Santiago, Chile. Genest made it into the individual sprint quarterfinals.

The first full day of competition saw Canadians Ryan Dodyk and Nick Wammes light out on their derney journey in the men’s keirin. In qualifying, Wammes rolled Heat 3 where he was fourth and Dodyk achieved the same in Heat 4. Both would face the repechage round, where they placed runner-up in their respective heats and advanced no further.

Genest and Sarah Orban were Canada’s entrants in the women’s individual sprint. In the flying 200 metre qualifying, Genest killed it with 10.351 seconds, fourth fastest and Orban hit 10.749, 17th. Genest got to skip the 1/16 finals but Orban drew Ekaterina Evlanova, over whom she could not prevail.

Genest matched up with formidible French sprinter Mathilde Gros. In the closest race of the 1/8 finals, Genest edged out Gros. Off to the quarter-finals to face Japan’s Mina Sato. In Race 1, Sato led out, the Canadian staying high. Genest left it a bit late to try to come around the Japanese rider and found herself down. Race 2 had Genest lead out, and both riders set down on the blue band. The sprint started with a lap and a half and Genest held tough.

And so it came down to the rubber match. Again they floated down to the blue line. Genest kept a close eye on the Japanese athlete. Sato went high, dove down, and came around Genest for the win.

Of some interest to Canadians were the fortunes of Team USA’s Ashlin Barry, son of Canadian ex-roadie Michael Barry, in the men’s team pursuit bronze medal match versus the Kiwis. New Zealand was faster at every kilometre time check.

Canada’s Fiona Majendie took on the women’s elimination race. There was an early crash where one rider was taken off the track on a stretcher, so the race was restarted. Majendie was the second to get the yank.

Dylan Bibic, the only Canadian to medal over the last three World Championships and the 2022 scratch World Champion, finished Team Canada’s Thursday program in the men’s scratch race. The Canuck started the forty-lap race at the blue line. A French rider’s mechanical problem called for a restart. Bibic was part of an…