Ganna sets new men’s individual pursuit world record, wins fourth title
Berlin, Feb 28, 2020 (AFP) – Italian Filippo Ganna beat his own men’s individual pursuit world record with a time of four minutes and 1.934 seconds before clinching his fourth world title in the event in Berlin on Friday.
The 23-year-old, who rides on the road for Team Ineos, was close to breaking the symbolic four-minute mark in his qualifying run at the track world championships.
Ganna had previously set the record with 4min 2.647sec in November.
He claimed his fourth individual title, having also taken gold in 2016, 2018 and 2019, by cruising to victory in the final against American Ashton Lambie.
But Ganna, who also claimed individual silver in 2017, did not threaten his earlier record, winning in 4min 3.875sec.
Frenchman Corentin Ermenault beat Italian teenager Jonathan Milan to take the bronze.
Elsewhere, 19-year-old New Zealander Corbin Strong claimed gold in the men’s points race in an event which has been scrapped from the programme for this year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Spain’s Sebastian Mora Vedri finished second with the Netherlands’ Roy Eefting in third, as title holder Jan-Willem van Schip decided against competing to focus on the omnium and the madison later in the championships.
Dutch racer Sam Ligtlee clinched victory in the men’s one kilometre time trial in a time of 59.495 seconds, beating last year’s winner Quentin Lafargue into second.
Ligtlee, 22, whose sister Elis is the Olympic keirin champion, won bronze at the European Championships in the same race two years ago.
Lafargue’s compatriot Michael D’Almeida was third in a discipline which last featured at the Olympics in 2008.
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