ROUBAIX, France – Lauriane Genest was the last Quebecer in action at the World Track Cycling Championships in Roubaix, France during the presentation of the keirin. She finished the day in 10th place while her compatriot Kelsey Mitchell finished fifth.
Genest started the day strong by taking first place in his qualifying heat with a time of 11.379s. The Lévisienne was therefore able to avoid the repechage and went directly to the semi-finals.
It was then that things got tough for her, finishing fourth in her heat, Genest had to settle for the B final. In the other semi-final, Mitchell was the fastest, stopping the clock at 11.188 s .
“It started well by winning my qualifying round. On the other hand, in the semi-finals, I was not able to make a top-3. The execution was there at around 80%, I ran out of juice at the end. In the end, I’m definitely a little disappointed with my result for the day,” Genest explained in an interview with Sportcom.
The 23-year-old cyclist eventually finished fourth in the B final which was won by Shanne Braspennincx of the Netherlands, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year. Genest described this final as being just as tough as the A final.
“It was a good race in the B final. It didn’t go quite well on my side again. I really wanted to be able to make the grand finale. It was a long day at the track and the fatigue was starting to set in. Everyone was tired, so that’s no excuse,” she added.
Germany’s Lea Sophie Friedrich won the gold medal in the Grand Final. The Japanese Mina Sato and the Russian athlete Yana Tyshchenko complete the podium.
On Friday, Genest finished fourth in the individual sprint, just behind Kelsey Mitchell. Although she was obviously hoping for a medal, the track racer said she was satisfied with her performance in this event.
“I’m super happy with my result in the sprint. My goal was achieved. This is my best result in the sprint, an event that has always been my pet peeve. I’m starting to be more in control of my runs and I’m more comfortable. It’s encouraging for the future,” concludes Genest, who will stay in Europe in the coming weeks to take part in several Champions League events.
