Martina Fidanza strikes gold again at UCI Track World Championships as Germany break world record in women’s team sprint

Italy’s Martina Fidanza successfully defended her title in the women’s scratch race to claim the first gold medal of the 2022 UCI Track World Championships on Wednesday, while Germany broke their own world record in the women’s team sprint qualifying rounds.

The 10km scratch race was the first medal event on the opening day of action in Versailles, and it delivered a thrilling contest that saw Maike van der Duin of the Netherlands take silver and Great Britain’s Jessica Roberts claim bronze.

The 24-strong group remained tightly bunched with three of the 40 laps remaining as riders looked to position themselves well for the final sprint.

But Fidanza, who claimed the rainbow jersey in the same event last year in Roubaix, got herself to the head of the pack as they crossed the line for the final lap.

From there, she showed her champion quality by putting on the afterburners to quickly create a big gap between her and the rest of the field before flying over the finish line with a comfortable lead.

Roberts’ bronze was a first World Championships medal for the 23-year-old Brit, who claimed silver at the European Track Championships earlier this year.

Fidanza’s triumph was the first of 22 world titles that will be won over the next five days in France – 11 for men and 11 for women.

And there was more drama, as Germany broke the world record in the women’s team sprint with a time of 45.983 seconds in the First Round.

A scintillating final lap from Lea Friedrich finished off the job as the Germans broke a world record that they already held themselves, becoming the first women’s team to go under 46 seconds.

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