Men’s team pursuit re-set record in golden Pan Am Games performance

Friday, Day 3 of track cycling at the Velódromo Parque Peñalolén took place at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. It proved to be another golden day for Canada. One day after setting a new Pan American record, the men’s team pursuit squad won their final to bring home the gold medal.

The men’s team pursuit gold matches the women’s team pursuit gold from earlier in this week’s Pan Am Games. The double gold adds to what is proving to be a very successful week for Canada, both at Velódromo Parque Peñalolén and across all cycling disciplines in Chile.

In the final, Canada was represented by Chris Ernst, 24, of Kitchener, Ont., Olympian Michael Foley, 24, of Milton, Ont, Carson Mattern, 19, of Ancaster, Ont., and Sean Richardson, 22 of Vancouver, B.C.. They faced Colombia in the final, who they caught on the final lap to set a new record time of 3:53.593. The quartet was joined on the podium by 18-year-old Campbell Parrish of Vancouver, B.C. who rode in the first round of racing on Thursday.

“It’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience for me. I’ve been to a few World Championships and other events and the vibe is unmatched here,” said Mattern, whose accolades already include junior world championship titles in omnium and individual pursuit. “Just being around all the best athletes from our country as well as others uplifts us to do the best and represent Canada the best we can. It’s a really tight-knit squad, we all have each other’s backs… I know I have a job to do, everyone else does their job, we take care of each other and win medals.”

For Ernst and Foley, there was little time to rest on their laurels. The pair went from podium straight to the men’s Madison finals. After recovering from an early crash, the pair finished fifth overall behind Mexico, Columbia and the United States.

James Hedgcock also finished fourth for Canada in the men’s keirin. Sra Orban placed sixth in the women’s sprint finals. Rounding out the Canadian effort on Friday were Ngaire Barraclough and Devaney Collier, both of Edmonton, Alta, whose run in the women’s Madison ended in a small crash.