The first three elite world titles of the unified Cycling World Championships, being held in Glasgow and across Scotland, were awarded on the track in the opening day of competition on Thursday.
Women’s Individual Pursuit – Dygert wins first gold
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American Chloé Dygert claimed the first elite gold medal of the UCI Cycling World Championships, by setting the fastest time in the women’s individual pursuit. The 2022 world champion Franziska Brausse of Germany secured the silver.
Just like in the qualifying round, Dygert put down the best time ahead of Brausse. In the gold medal round, she led from start to finish, increasing her gap to a massive 5 seconds at the 2500 metres before overtaking Brausse in the final 125 metres. Dygert’s winning time of 3.17.26 on the 4km race, was slightly slower than her world record – set in 2020 – of 3:16.937. While delighted to take the victory, the rider from the United States had hoped to take the opportunity to better her record as well.
“I know I just won the rainbow stripes, but I don’t feel like I’m quite back at my absolute best yet,” said Dygert in a statement from Canyon-SRAM. “In the last 12 months, I’ve had heart surgery, a few crashes and some small injuries. I was here in the best shape I could be, but I want to improve in the future … That said, I’m happy to be on the step tonight and love the process of getting back to my best.”
The battle for bronze was taken by Bryony Botha (New Zealand) edging out Neah Evans (Great Britain).
Dygert will also represent the United Startes in the team pursuit on August 5. She will then line up in the time trial & road race at the UCI Road World Championships.
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chloé Dygert (USA) | 3:17.542 |
| 2 | Franziska Brausse (Ger) | OVL |
| 3 | Bryony Botha (Nzl) | 3:22.21 |
| 4 | Neah Evans (Gbr) | 3:23.264 |
| 5 | Maeve Plouffe (Aus) | |
| 6 | Lisa Klein (Ger) | |
| 7 | Maggie Coles-Lyster (Can) | |
| 8 | Marionn Borras (Fra) | |
| 9 | Samantha Donelly (Nzl) | |
| 10 | Jessica Roberts (Gbr) | |
| 11 | Kelly Murphy (Irl) | |
| 12 | Ariane Bonhomme (Can) | |
| 13 | Sarah van Dam (Can) | |
| 14 | Laura Sussemilch (Ger) | |
| 15 | Martina Alzini (Ita) | |
| 16 | Suwan Wei (Chn) | Row 15 – Cell 2 |
| 17 | Xiaoyue Wang (Chn) |
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