Mark Stewart claims bronze for Great Britain at UCI Track Cycling World Championships
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 02/03/18 8:55pm
Mark Stewart has won bronze for Great Britain in the men's points race at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
The 22-year-old Scot twice took a lap on the field as he piled up 49 points, edging out Hong Kong's King Lok Cheung by a single point for the final medal.
Australian Cameron Meyer comfortably defended his title with a total of 70 points while Jan Willem van Schip delighted the home crowd in Apeldoorn by crossing the line first to take the silver medal.
Stewart was delighted to get on the podium after a rough start to the year in which he has spent almost as much time in dentists' waiting rooms as at the velodrome.
"I went in thinking I'd love a medal here but I wouldn't be disappointed if I didn't get one," he said.
"I've had a tough month. I've had a lot of dental work with abscesses. I've been to the dentist six times already this year so up until about a week ago hadn't had a good day.
"Then I started to feel like myself again and thought if I can get a medal I'll be super happy."
There was disappointment for Charlie Tanfield in the bronze medal race of the men's individual pursuit as he lost to Russia's Alexander Evtushenko.
Tanfield, part of the men's team pursuit squad that took gold on Thursday night, had opened up a big early advantage and led by over a second and a half at one point.
But he faded badly in the second half, finishing in a time of four minutes 15.930 seconds, almost two seconds slower than his time in qualifying and over two seconds behind Evtushenko.
Tanfield admitted he had started out too strong and paid the price, but the 21-year-old amateur could still be happy with his weekend's work as he will go home with a rainbow jersey in his suitcase.
"I'm not hedging around here," he said. "I came here to try to win. It didn't really click. I was feeling good but tactically I sort of let myself down. But the main thing is I've learned from the experience. Hopefully next year I'll come back stronger.
"I went out easier (than in qualifying) but obviously I was more fatigued from before. In the last few laps I knew the other guy would finish strong. I wanted to start strong to maybe get in his draft but I just ran out at the end.
"You learn, so next year I'll not make the same mistake again if I'm lucky enough to be racing again. Next time I need to pace it. It's pacing strategy. I went out way too hard.
"If you're a tenth under your schedule at the start you'll be two tenths off it at the end. I guess it's the world championships and you want to do really well but I got to the end and I ran out of energy."
Elinor Barker had to settle for sixth place in the women's omnium after carrying medal hopes into the last of the four races.
Barker, riding in place of her madison partner Katie Archibald, who was not feeling good enough to defend her title, won the tempo race at the end of the afternoon session to move up to second in the standings.
She shook off bumps and bruises from a crash early in the elimination race to finish seventh, leaving her third overall at the start of the final points race.
But the 23-year-old struggled to make an impact in the final event, and slipped down the standings as Holland's Kirsten Wild took her second gold medal of the championships, having also won the scratch race on Wednesday.
