The local cyclist Juliana Londoño won gold in the omnium of the 2023 Junior World Track Championships that is held at the Alcides Nieto Patiño velodrome, in the city of Cali, in a day where her partner Stefany Cuadrado finished with silver in the sprint and now placed the Colombian team in third place by nations.
Londoño excelled in the exhausting test by adding 118 points, to surpass the cyclists Clemence Chereau (100 units), from France, and the Belgian Helena Hesters (98), in an exciting competition that made the people of Cali vibrate They encouraged her from the stands of the Valle del Cauca oval.
It is worth mentioning that the omnium is a competition that is made up of four tests: the scratch, the tempo, the elimination and the points. Each one delivers a number of scores, they are carried out at different times of the competitive day and at the end the points that each competitor achieved are added to get each of the positions and know who are gold, silver and bronze medalists.
For the woman from Antioquia, hanging this golden metal is a dream come true: “I have worked for this, I came here with this dream and today I fulfilled it,” the runner Londoño told the official media of the Colombian Cycling Federation. Immediately afterwards, she pointed out that “it was a demanding test, all day running in the classifications, there were five tests in total. I am very happy with what I achieved today,” she commented.
Wearing the rainbow shirt for Juliana Londoño is something that she “has not yet been able to assimilate”, and revealed that what prompted her to cross the finish line with impetus was thinking of “my family, my parents, who have supported me at all times . They have always been there in difficult times. I also thank all those people who have passed through my entire sporting process”.
On the other hand, this achievement of the Colombian cyclist adds to a magnificent season in which she has won several national titles, she became Pan American champion, all due to her dedication, sacrifice and commitment to her sporting discipline. . “It has been a year of many joys and well, this world title has been the greatest happiness so far. I felt very strong on the track, ”she said with a smile from ear to ear from Antioquia.
She added that the key to her world gold medal was to make a difference in the initial tests, to then finish off the last test, which is the points test, which she describes as “the decisive test. That’s why I finished off very hard, ”she explained the beetle.
It is worth noting that Juliana Londoño has not been cycling for long. Previously she was a skater, she ran for the Orión de Medellín club in Antioquia, with which she stood out in several national validations, but since skaters also train with the bicycle, she fell in love with it and decided to take the step to the cranks.
Stefany Cuadrado, junior sprint runner-up
The young Colombian track player Stefany Cuadrado contributed the third medal for Colombia in the world event for juniors by hanging the silver medal in the women’s sprint. The woman from Antioquia managed to qualify for the final round of this modality after winning the tiebreaker in the semifinal round, which gave her the chance to go in search of the gold medal.
In the second and final heat, she had Elizaveta Solozobova as a rival. Although the start was even between the two, the European took an important advantage in the last lap to stay heads-up against the Colombian.
Canada is also among the champions
The men’s points race left Canadian Ethan Powell with the first gold for his country, followed by Italian of Colombian blood Juan David Sierra, while Russian Daniil Kazakov finished with bronze.
The northerner added 53 points and took two laps from the pack during the race, which gave him the title ahead of the European Sierra (50 cards) and Kazakov (41).
After three full days of competition, Italy continues to lead the medal table (2-4-1), followed by Germany (1-2-1), Great Britain (1-2-0), as well as Colombia. China, France, Australia and Canada close the nations with at least one gold, while Belgium, Japan and Denmark complete the 11 countries that have been able to climb to the podium.
For this Saturday’s day, the ladies will have to compete in the points test, the 500 meter time trial and the individual pursuit, while the men will participate in the omnium.
On the final day of competitions, scheduled to be held this Sunday, August 27, the classifications and finals of Madison will be held, in both branches; the elimination and the kilometer, in the men, and the keirin, in the ladies.