The French track cycling team won two medals this Thursday at the world championships in Roubaix, thanks to Donavan Grondin, crowned on the scratch, and thanks to Thomas Boudat, Thomas Denis, Valentin Tabellion and Benjamin Thomas, silver on team pursuit.
First gold medal of #Roubaix2021 for France!
Bravo Donavan Grondin ????????????#Roubaix2021 pic.twitter.com/2kwQmUcDNO
– UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) October 21, 2021
France holds its first gold medal for its home world championships! On the Roubaix velodrome, Donavan Grondin brought the French delegation the title of world scratch champion, thus continuing his magnificent season, he who had already won Olympic bronze in Tokyo with Benjamin Thomas in the American race. All at only 21 years old! The Reunionese won in this event which consists of 15 kilometers (60 laps), where the riders who take a lap are eliminated (which was the case for three of the 22 riders competing in this final). Grondin waited for the last few hundred meters to make the difference, and in a sprint he beat the Belgian Tuur Dens and the Briton Rhys Britton. The Italian, Elia Viviani, a great sprinter both on the track and on the road, could not do better than ninth.
Italy too strong in pursuit
The other French medal of the day was assured since Wednesday following the qualification of the pursuers for the final, and it is in silver. Thomas Boudat, Thomas Denis, Valentin Tabellion and Benjamin Thomas lost in the final against the Italian favorites led by the king of the time trial Filippo Ganna. The Italian team got off to a good start in their final (which is played over 4000m), but France took the lead after 1250m, then the two teams passed in turn, and Italy ended up cracking the France in the last third. The Blues have also completely exploded in the last laps and finished two. The bronze medal goes to the British, who beat the Danes.
Olympic Champions ✅
UCI World Champions ✅The Italians claim the rainbow stripes in the Men’s Team Pursuit!#Roubaix2021 pic.twitter.com/tlXBQnIEIh
– UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) October 21, 2021
Fat falls into quarters
Disappointment on the other hand for Mathilde Gros on the individual speed. Bronze medalist at the European Championships earlier this month, the 22-year-old Northerner was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Fourth in qualifying in the morning, then victorious over Russian Anastasiia Voinova in the eighth, she lost two sets to one against Canadian Lauriane Genest. On the keirin, the Netherlands signed a brace with the victory of Harrie Lavreysen ahead of Jeffrey Hoogland, while the French Rayan Helal could not do better than sixth in the final. His compatriot Sébastien Vigier, for his part, finished fourth in the small final, and therefore tenth overall. Finally, in the elimination race (a competitor is eliminated after each sprint), Valentine Fortin took seventh place, while the title went to the Italian Letizia Paternoster. After two days of competition, France therefore has three medals.
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