Canadian Olympic gold medalist Kelsey Mitchell of Brandon, Manitoba won the silver medal in a UCI (International Cycling Union) Track Champions League event in London, England on Saturday. Mitchell was beaten in the final by .017 seconds. Mathilde Gros of France won the gold medal. Gros had a time of 11.294 seconds and Mitchell had a time of 11.311 seconds.
Martha Bayona of Colombia won the bronze medal in the women’s sprint in London. She finished second to Mitchell in the women’s sprint semifinal provisional heat leading up to the final.
This was the final Track Champions League event of the 2022 cycling season. Mitchell finished in second place in the overall sprint standings behind only Gros. The overall sprint standings combined women’s sprint races and women’s Keirin races. Mitchell had 127 points and Gros had 140 points.
This was the fifth podium finish for Mitchell in the Track Champions League. However, it was only the first podium finish in a women’s sprint race as the other four were in women’s Keirin races. She won gold in Berlin, silver in Mallorca and London, and bronze in St-Quentin. The silver medal in the women’s sprint in London will give Mitchell confidence as she prepares for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
