Defending World Champions Emma Foy (Marsden Wheelers – Whangarei) and Hannah van Kampen (Ramblers – Hawkes Bay) today retained their World title taking a commanding lead in the Women’s Tandem Individual Pursuit to win by over 7 seconds at the 2020 UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships in Canada. This is Foy and van Kampen’s second consecutive World Championships title on the track.
Foy said: “We went out and we wanted to do our best ride and we did that. Our qualifying ride was probably one of the best rides we have ever done together. It is great to have our main event now complete and our goals achieved.“
Van Kampen said: “It was very cool to be able go out first up and put down a very fast time and a very good time in qualification this morning. Tomorrow is kilo day [1km Time Trial], you go all out for 4 laps and just go for it.“
Dr. Damian Wiseman (Para Cycling Assistant Coach) said: “Emma and Hannah had a great day today riding one of the best pursuits collectively and technically that they have executed in competition so far. They rode the most consistent lap times that we’ve seen out of them and given that they are the current world record holders to come out and deliver a ride that was underneath their most recent world record time was just a reflection of how perfectly they executed their ride.“
Foy and van Kampen will compete in the Women’s Tandem Time Trial tomorrow, an event which they won bronze in 2019. Dr. Wiseman said: “Over the last year they have made some big inroads into their best time for this event so I am expecting them to be competitive again tomorrow.“
Foy was born with ocular cutaneous albinism resulting in a visual impairment. Van Kampen is the sighted pilot that rides with Foy on the front of the tandem bike.
Nicole Murray (Te Awamutu) placed 4th in the Women’s Flying 200m C5 in a time of 12.659 at her third UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships. This is Murray’s second race of four in the Omnium which she is thoroughly enjoying. She has a left wrist amputation resulting from an accident.
Para cyclist Sarah Ellington (Auckland) placed 6th in a personal best time of 15.231 in the Women’s Individual Time Trial C2. The gold medallist Zhenling Song (China) went onto set new World Record previously held by New Zealand Paralympian Paula Tesoriero since 2009.
Ellington then went on to race the Women’s Flying 200m C2 placing 4th. This is a new event in the Omnium, the third event of four for Sarah. Ellington has incomplete paraplegia from an accident resulting in a loss of muscle power in both legs.
Anna Taylor (Te Awamutu) placed 8th in the Women’s Flying 200m C4 in a time of 13.762. As a predominantly endurance-based athlete this will continue to grow Taylor’s experience having only made her international debut in 2018. Taylor has a spinal condition resulting in a loss of muscle power in both legs.
Tomorrow will see all 8 members of the New Zealand Para Cycling Team competing including Emma Foy and Hannah van Kampen; Mitchell Wilson (Te Awamutu) and Jackson Ogle (Te Awamutu); Nick Blincoe (Auckland), Sarah Ellington, Nicole Murray and Anna Taylor.
Find out here the full schedule of the New Zealand Para Cycling Team at the 2020 UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships.
The event is live streamed on uci.org and results are shared daily on our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Photo credit: Rob Jones
