Elinor Barker, a previous gold medallist in the women’s team pursuit at the UCI world championships held in Glasgow, achieved a nail-biting victory in the women’s Madison event at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
The British duo of Elinor Barker and Neah Evans appeared poised for gold in the 120-lap race until a high-speed crash just prior to the penultimate lap prompted a dramatic restart. Barker and Evans had to battle fiercely in the final nine laps to stave off the Australian challengers, securing victory by a mere three points.
Recalling the suspenseful moment, Evans shared, “I remember thinking: ‘Just one more lap, El’s leading, two laps to go and we win.’ Then, suddenly, the gun went off and it was like, ‘Uh-oh, what’s next? Do I have nine laps left in me?'”
Cameron Meyer
Interestingly, it was Britain’s coach, Cameron Meyer, a former world champion in the Madison for Australia, who guided and refocused the pair before the restart. Evans explained, “He presented different scenarios to us. We had to stay in the mix, which isn’t easy in a nine-lap race.”
Barker added, “Our worst-case scenario was third place. The restart provided a reset. Cam has been crucial in this aspect – his logic has been invaluable. He has a wealth of knowledge, having excelled in this race himself. Without him coaching us in the past year, we might not be where we are now.”
Barker, who earned gold at the 2016 Olympics, followed by silver at Tokyo 2020, and then took maternity leave in 2022, expressed immense joy. “I’ve secured double gold in the same events at the European championships. But doing it at the world champs, with a home crowd, is incredibly different and truly special.”
Earlier, in the men’s elimination race, Britain’s Ethan Vernon clinched the world title despite being brought down by Matthijs Büchli of the Netherlands. Recovering with remarkable resilience, Vernon overcame Elia Viviani of Italy and ultimately Dylan Bibic of Canada to capture the gold.