Britain's Emily Nelson wins first gold at the European Track Cycling Championships
Thursday 17 October 2019 10:38, UK
Great Britain's Emily Nelson won the first gold medal of the European Track Championships in the Netherlands.
The 22-year-old finished ahead of a strong field in the scratch race to win her first elite European title, holding off Ireland's Shannon McCurley who claimed silver.
"I started my sprint a couple of laps earlier than I usually would, but I knew I wanted to lead out rather than try to get around other riders," Nelson told British Cycling.
"I'm really happy with the jersey, especially with it being my first elite European title."
A scratch race sees the riders start together with the winner crossing the line first after a certain number of laps.
Britain's men's team sprint squad were forced to settle for silver as the trio of Ryan Owens, Jack Carlin and Jason Kenny were edged out by world champions Holland.
The women's pursuit team eased through to the gold medal final while the men's team will ride off for bronze.
