Canadian Olympic gold medalist Kelsey Mitchell of Brandon, Manitoba won the 2022 International Cycling Union (UCI) Track Cycling Champions League women’s Keirin cycling event in Berlin, Germany on Saturday. Mitchell, who won the gold medal in the women’s sprint cycling event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, beat out Martha Bayona of Colombia by one-one thousandth of a second. A photo finish was required to make the determination that Mitchell was indeed victorious.
Shanne Braspennincx of the Netherlands won the bronze medal. In fact, there were three Dutch cyclists in the top five as Laurine Van Riessen was in fourth place and Hetty Van De Wouw was in fifth place.
Mitchell posted a first round heat time of 11.415 seconds. It was the second fastest heat time in the women’s Keirin event. The only cyclist with a faster heat time was Bayona at 11.399 seconds.
The rivalry emerging between Mitchell and Bayona is turning out to be quite special. After four races (two sprint races and two Keirin races) in Track Cycling Champions League action to date, Bayona has 49 points, and Mitchell has 48 points. The gold medal for Mitchell will give her confidence as she prepares for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
