CYCLING: U.S. star Hannah Roberts wins second World BMX Freestyle title, qualifies for 2020

A second world title for American teen sensation Hannah Roberts!

It’s official now. You can make American teen Hannah Roberts the favorite for the first Olympic edition of the BMX Freestyle Park event next year in Tokyo after she won at the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Chengdu (CHN).

The top two in both the men’s and women’s finals earned spots for Tokyo and Roberts – who also won in 2017 – had the top score with 89.95 in qualifying, and then again in the final. Riding last, she put up a 90.00 score to win easily.

Trailing well behind was Chile’s Macarena Perez Grasset at 86.80 and then Britain’s Charlotte Worthington (86.54). Last year’s world titlist, Perris Benegas of the U.S., struggled and finished eighth at 62.20.

In the three years of the World Urban Championships, Roberts, 18, has finished 1-3-1 and is the clear favorite for Tokyo.

The men’s situation is much cloudier, with the third new champion in three years in Australia’s Brandon Loupos. Third at the Worlds last year, he won a brilliant competition with a 93.20 score, just ahead of countryman – and 2017 World Champion – Logan Martin (92.90) and American Nick Bruce (90.40). Defending champ Justin Dowell of the U.S. was fourth at 88.20. Summaries further below.

At the second UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Glasgow (GBR), sprinters Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands and Hong Kong star Wai Sze Lee established themselves as the season leaders with their second straight wins of the year.

Lavreysen repeated his first-week victory in Minsk over fellow Dutchman Jeffrey Hoogland with another 2-0 win in the men’s Sprint final. The two both ended up winners on the victorious Dutch Team Sprint squad.

France’s Benjamin Thomas was the only other two-event winner among the men, taking the Omnium and then teaming with Donavan Grondin for the victory in the Madison.

Lee, the reigning World Sprint and Keirin champ, disposed of German Emma Hinze in the final, also by 2-0, for a repeat win after Minsk. Summaries:

UCI World Urban Championshiups
Chengdu (CHN) ~ 6-10 November 2019
(Full results here)

Men

BMX Freestyle Park: 1. Brandon Loupos (AUS), 93.20; 2. Logan Martin (AUS), 92.90; 3. Nick Bruce (USA), 90.40; 4. Justin Dowell (USA), 88.20; 5. Rimu Nakamura (JPN), 87.80. Also: 6. Daniel Sandoval (USA), 87.20.

BMX Flatland: 1. Dominik Nekolny (CZE), 91.08; 2. Matthias Dondois (FRA) 90.13; 3. Moto Sasaki (JPN), 89.00; 4. Terry Adams (USA), 83.13; 5. Matthieu Bonnecuelle (FRA). 82.75.

Women

BMX Freestyle Park: 1. Hannah Roberts (USA), 90.00; 2. Macarena Perez Grasset (CHI), 86.80; 3. Charlotte Worthington (GBR), 86.54; 4. Lara Lessmann (GER), 84.10; 5. Nikita Ducarroz (SUI), 81.40. Also: 8. Perris Benegas (USA), 62.20; … 11. Chelsea Wolfe (USA), 51.40.

BMX Flatland: 1. Irina Sadovnik (AUT), 82.25; 2. Misaki Katagiri (JPN), 78.13; 3. Julia Preuss (GER), 70.75; 4. Eri Funatsu (JPN), 62.50; only finalists.

UCI Track Cycling World Cup
Glasgow (GBR) ~ 8-10 November 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Sprint/Final: Harrie Lavreysen (NED) d. Jeffrey Hoogland (NED), 2-0. Third: Tomohiro Fukaya (JPN) d. Mateusz Rudyk (POL), 2-0.

Team Sprint/Final: 1. Netherlands (Hoogland, Lavreysen, van Thoenderdaal), 42.163; 2. Great Britain, 43.515. Third: 3. France, 42.813; 4. Beat Cycling (NED), 43.261.

Team Pursuit/Final: 1. Denmark (Hanson, Johansen, Madsen, Pedersen), 3:49.246; 2. Italy, 3:49.920; Third: France, 3:52.143; 4. Great Britain, 3:55.450.

Keirin: 1. Sebastien Vigier (FRA); 2. Maximilian Levy (GER), +0.011; 3. Denis Dmitriev (RUS), +0.012.

Scratch Race: 1. Felix English (IRL), 16:26; 2. Sebastian Mora Vedri (ESP); 3. Maxmilian Beyer (GER).

Omnium: 1. Benjamin Thomas (FRA), 130; 2. Mark Stewart (GBR), 109; 3. Francesco Lamon (ITA), 106. Also: 15. Gavin Hoover (USA), 60.

Madison: 1. Benjamin Thomas/Donavan Grondin (FRA), 96; 2. Ethan Hayter/Oliver Wood (GBR), 86; 3. Sam Welsford/Leigh Howard (AUS), 84.

Women

Sprint/Final: Wai Sze Lee (HKG) d. Emma Hinze (GER), 2-0. Third: Olena Starikova (UKR) d. Lea Sophie Friedrich (GER), 209.

Team Sprint/Final: 1. Ekaterina Rogovaya/Daria Shmeleva (RUS), 32.789; 2. Tianshi Zhong/Wei Zhuang (CHN), 32.792. Third: 3. Lea Sophie Friedrich/Pauline Grabosch (ERD/GER), 32.953; 4. Simona Krupeckaite/Migle Marozaite (LTU), 33.399.

Team Pursuit/Final: 1. Great Britain (Evans, Archibald, Barker, Dickinson), 4:12.244; 2. Germany, 4:14.522. Third: 3. Italy, 4:19.649; 4. France, 4:19.868.

Keirin: 1. Katy Marchant (GBR); 2. Hinze (GER), +0.002; 3. Mathilde Gros (FRA), +0.111.

Scratch Race: 1. Karolina Karasiewicz (POL); 2. Anastasia Chulkova (RUS); 3. Diana Klimova (RUS).

Omnium: 1. Kirsten Wild (NED), 121; 2. Olga Zabelinskaya (UZB), 115; 3. Anette Edmondson (AUS), 111. Also: 17. Christina Birch (USA), 33.

Madison: 1. Annette Edmondson/Georgia Baker (AUS), 40; 2. Katie Archibald/Elinor Barker (GBR), 31; 3. Kirsten Wild/Amy Pieters (NED), 19.