Commonwealth Games: Joanna Rowsell wins gold for England in individual pursuit
Last Updated: 26/07/14 3:48pm
Joanna Rowsell handed England their second cycling gold medal of the 2014 Commonwealth Games with a dominant victory in the individual pursuit, as Jason Kenny added silver in the men's individual sprint.
Rowsell, who is the reigning world champion in the discipline, stopped the clock over the 3km, 12-lap distance in a time of 3min 31.615sec, which was 3.8 seconds faster than her well-beaten opponent, Australia's Annette Edmondson.
The 25-year-old was 0.3 seconds ahead after 1km and 0.9 seconds in front after 2km, and she then put the result beyond doubt with a powerful final 1km as Edmondson wilted at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow.
The victory means Rowsell now has a full set of gold medals on the global stage, having previously won titles at the Olympic Games and world championships.
Rowsell had earlier broken the Commonwealth Games record by qualifying for the gold-medal final in a blistering time in 3min 29.038sec. Her victory followed English duo Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott's win in the tandem B sprint on Thursday.
Kenny edged out
Scotland’s Katie Archibald missed out on a place on the podium in the individual pursuit after losing to Australia’s Amy Cure in the bronze-medal final.
Kenny added a silver to England's haul in the men's individual sprint after being beaten 2-1 by New Zealand's Sam Webster in a hard-fought gold-medal final.
Kenny tied the final at 1-1 after Webster had won the opening heat, but the reigning Olympic champion was edged out in the last heat and had to settle for a second Commonwealth silver medal to go with the one he won in the men's team sprint on Thursday.
In the men's individual pursuit, Wales' Owain Doull missed out on a bronze medal after being beaten in the third-place final by New Zealand's Mark Ryan. Australia's Jack Bobridge took the gold ahead of compatriot Alex Edmondson.
In the men's 1km time trial B2 tandem, Scotland's Neil Fachie claimed gold in a Commonwealth Games record time of 1min 02.096sec.
