Track Cycling World Championships 2022: Brauße races to gold - Hinze ends World Championships with silver
DPA
· 15.10.2022
Franziska Brauße looked anxiously at the scoreboard, then threw her arms up in jubilation. On her third attempt, the 23-year-old from Eningen finally made it. After bronze in 2020 and silver in 2021, she succeeded in a thrilling final on the Olympic track in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. the World Championship victory in the 3000 metre single pursuit.
"Standing alone at the top of a world championship, taking the title from Lisa Brennauer, is special for me," said the Olympic four-woman champion from Tokyo, not really knowing how to categorise her success: "It's almost nicer to win with the team because you stand on the podium with the girls and can be happy as a team."
Brausse's first major victory in the individual discipline
Brauße provided the highlight from a German perspective, while sprint ace Emma Hinze stomped off the track with a red head after missing out on her chance of gold. Silver in the 500 metre time trial was initially a disappointment for the serial world champion, who was spoilt for success. She was outdone by the 20-year-old Frenchwoman Marie-Divine Kouamé to the cheers of the 5,000 spectators. After her second place, Hinze announced her withdrawal from the World Championships and will no longer compete in the keirin on Sunday.
At least Brauße ensured a happy ending, but the final against New Zealander Bryony Botha was not without trepidation. After just over a kilometre, the German had already pulled out a lead of more than a second, but the gap kept shrinking. Suddenly Botha was even ahead. "I had problems keeping up the pace at the back. It got tight there. I heard a bit of what the speaker said. (...) I knew then that I had to give it my all," said Brauße. In the end it was a sprint to the finish, "just full throttle".
It should be enough. Brauße won in 3:19.427 minutes, just ahead of Botha (3:19.869). European champion Mieke Kröger, on the other hand, missed out on bronze in the small final against Great Britain's Josie Knight. This is Brauße's first major success in the individual discipline. She had previously won gold in Tokyo with the four as well as two European Championship titles and World Championship gold in 2021. In France, the foursome had only managed sixth place after a personnel upheaval.
Hinze no longer competes in the keirin
For Hinze, the title fights ended with silver. One day after the 25-year-old was dethroned as sprint world champion, she failed to win gold in the 500 metres in 33.051 seconds. Hinze thus became the second rider after Anna Meares to miss out on winning all four short-track titles (sprint, keirin, 500 metres and team sprint). "It's a bit of a shame when you come first in qualifying. I just thought that I could go even faster. When it didn't turn out that way, I was disappointed," said Hinze.
It was Hinze's third medal at these World Championships. She had previously won gold in the team sprint and bronze in the sprint on the Olympic track in Paris 2024. She won't be competing in the keirin on Sunday: "I don't think it will do me any good. I wanted to race again. I realise that my body has sent me a signal and I just have to accept that. It won't do me any good if I only run backwards afterwards."
Lea Sophie Friedrich, Pauline Grabosch and Alessa-Catriona Pröpster, on the other hand, missed out on the final in 9th, 10th and 15th place. Friedrich, who finished second in the sprint on Friday, had won the World Championship title in the 500 metres in the past two years.
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