Emma Hinze is simply unbeatable at the Track Cycling World Championships.
The 24-year-old defending champion secured gold in the sprint in Roubaix on Friday evening and thus her fifth title in total - in Berlin 2020 and Roubaix 2021 she has only competed in five disciplines so far.
Team colleague and friend Lea Sophie Friedrich made it to the final of the impressive sprint show, but had to admit defeat in the eagerly awaited German duel after two thrilling rounds.
Before that, Hinze had clearly defeated Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell from Canada twice and thus demonstrated her current top form. "It's just fun," said Hinze, who made a more relaxed impression in the days of Roubaix than she did in Tokyo, when the media pressure and expectations were simply too much for her. On Sunday, Hinze wants to defend her third title in the Keirin and perfect the next spectacular World Cup triple. As defending champion in the 500-meter time trial on Saturday, Friedrich is one of the favorites.
Before the competition between the two sprint women, the Association of German Cyclists (BDR) was able to celebrate another medal.
Joachim Eilers took bronze in the 1000 meter time trial in a time of 1: 00.008 minutes and only had to admit defeat to Jeffrey Hoogland (Netherlands) and Nicholas Paul (Trinidad and Tobago).
“We have done a lot of work.
My shape got better every time, we want to build on that.
That motivates me to be rewarded with a medal again, ”said Eilers.
After three out of five days of the World Cup, the German balance sheet reads strong.
In addition to three World Cup titles, there are also one silver and two bronze medals on the BDR account.
Even beating the yield from the home World Cup (four gold, one silver, three bronze) seems possible, as there are more medal chances at the weekend.
On the other hand, the former world champion Theo Reinhardt, who did not get past ninth place in the points race, remained without precious metal.
In the men's singles pursuit, the American Ashton Lambie prevailed against the strong Italian competition for Jonathan Milan (silver) and professional road bike professional Filippo Ganna (bronze).