Ellesse Andrews, a star in women’s track cycling, won the keirin gold medal today, showcasing her exceptional talent and determination.
Andrews, who earned a silver medal in the keirin at the Tokyo Olympics and won the world title in 2023, was expected to win gold in Paris and did not disappoint her fans.
Her journey to the gold medal was smooth and impressive. In the quarter-finals, Andrews comfortably secured second place to move to the semi-finals. There, she increased her efforts and won, although her fellow New Zealander, Rebecca Petch, was eliminated after finishing fifth. In the finals, despite the absence of some major competitors, Andrews displayed remarkable control and speed. She led the race early and successfully defended against strong challenges, winning by a narrow 0.062 seconds over Hetty van de Wouw from the Netherlands, with Emma Finucane from Britain taking third place.
Andrews had already contributed to New Zealand’s track sprint team by securing a silver medal, showing her ability to perform under intense pressure. Petch, also part of the silver medal-winning team, managed to progress through the keirin quarter-finals with a third place but finished 12th overall after being outpaced in the semi-final.
In the men’s competition, Aaron Gate, a New Zealand cyclist in the omnium event, showed consistent performance but lacked a standout race.
Gate placed 9th in the scratch race, 8th in the tempo race, and 11th in the elimination race. However, he delivered a strong points race, earning 13 sprint points and 40 points for lapping the field, finishing fifth in that segment. Overall, Gate ended in fifth place with 123 points. The gold medal went to Ben Thomas of France, who scored 164 points, while Iuri Leitao of Portugal took silver and Fabio van den Bossche of Belgium claimed bronze.
