Jammed to bronze: Friedrich misses out on hat-trick in the keirin

Lea Sophie Friedrich stretched out her arms and searched in vain for a gap. Sandwiched between her rivals, the world-class sprinter missed out on a hat-trick in the keirin at the World Cycling Championships in Glasgow, but at least it was just enough for a bronze medal.

Glasgow 2023 World Cycling Championships: German gold rush stopped for now

The German gold rush on the wooden oval has thus come to a halt for the time being. After her triumphs in 2021 and 2022, the 23-year-old Friedrich was beaten this time by New Zealand's winner Ellesse Andrews and Martha Bayona Pineda from Colombia. Nevertheless, she collected her third medal at the title fights in Scotland.

"I was disappointed in myself. I was annoyed because I should have reacted sooner. It's disappointing at first. I first had to come to terms with my own emotions," said Friedrich, adding: "It was a tough tournament. I'm still happy to have won a medal and to be on the podium. I have to keep in mind that you can't always win."

Skipped and trapped

Friedrich initially took the lead in the final, but was then sprinted over and trapped. An unfortunate situation that she was unable to resolve. Team-mate Emma Hinze, who had already won two titles in Glasgow, was eliminated in the semi-finals, as was young Alessa Catriona Pröpster.

Friedrich's bronze medal means that the German track cycling stars have taken four podium places in the three women's sprint events so far. "They are impressive," six-time British Olympic champion Chris Hoy told the German Press Agency: "The Germans have a really strong team. They have set the bar high for the sprinters. But their big challenge now will be to win at the Olympics."

Olympic victory is the title Friedrich is still missing. In 2021, she and Hinze won silver in the team sprint. However, they both came away empty-handed in the sprint and keirin in Tokyo. Things should be different in Paris 2024

Winning streak snaps in the final

Friedrich is currently a force to be reckoned with in the competitive sprint. "Keirin is one of my favourite disciplines. It suits me to be able to race this long distance and against my opponents," said Friedrich, who rocketed through the tournament with aplomb. She won her heat in the first round as well as in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Only in the final did her winning streak come to an end.

Hinze and Friedrich had won gold in the team sprint together with Pauline Grabosch. Hinze also won the 500 metre time trial, in which Friedrich secured bronze. There are also further medal chances in the sprint.

The German men, on the other hand, still have to wait for a medal. Tobias Buck-Gramcko finished fifth in the 4000 metre single pursuit. Italian superstar Filippo Ganna took the title in a heart-stopping final in 4:01.976 minutes against Great Britain's Daniel Bigham, who had always been in the lead until 125 metres before the end. Ganna had decided not to compete in the road race for the individual pursuit, but on Friday he will be aiming for his third title after 2020 and 2021 in the individual time trial.

Meanwhile, in para-sport, former track cycling world champion Robert Förstemann and his visually impaired colleague Thomas Ulbricht can look forward to another medal. The duo, who finished third in the 1000 metres, made it through to the semi-finals in the sprint. The competition will continue on Monday.

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