The 2019 edition of the Pan American Track Cycling Championships in Bolivia was one for the ages, with six world records set, thanks in great part to the 2,558 m (8,392 feet) altitude of the Cochabamba Velodrome.
But records they are:
● Men/Sprint: 9.249, Jair Tjon En Fa (SUR) in qualifying
● Men/Sprint: 9.100, Nicholas Paul (TTO) in qualifying
● Men/4,000 m Pursuit: 4:06.407, Ashton Lambie (USA) in qualifying
● Men/4,000 m Pursuit: 4:05.423, Lambie (USA)
● Women/Sprint: 10.360, Martha Bayona (COL) in qualifying
● Women/Sprint: 10.154, Kelsey Mitchell (CAN) in qualifying
Lambie, popularly known as the “Flying Moustache,” broke his own mark from 2018, also set at altitude in Aguascalientes (MEX) in the heats and then again in the final.
The big winner in Cochabamba was American star Jennifer Valente, who left with four gold medals, taking the Points Race, Scratch Race, Omnium, and teamed with Kendall Ryan for the Madison title. She won four golds last year – the same three individual events last year, but was part of the Team Pursuit winners instead of the Madison – and three in 2017, in the same three individual events. That’s 11 golds in three years!
Besides Valente, the only defending champs to win again in 2019 were Lambie in the Individual Pursuit and Jessica Salazar (MEX) in the women’s 500 m Time Trial.
Canada topped the medal table with 15 total (8-2-5), with Colombia second (14: 2-6-6) and the U.S. third (12: 6-3-3). Summaries:
Pan American Track Championships
Cochabamba (BOL) ~ 4-8 September 2019
(Full results here)
Men
Sprint/Final: 1. Nicholas Paul (TTO), 2. Jair Tjon En Fa (SUR); Third: Kevin Quintero (COL); 4. Hersony Canelon (VEN). In qualifying: Tjon En Fa, 9.249 (World Record; old, 9.347, Francois Pervis (MEX), 2013), later improved by Paul, 9.100.
Team Sprint/Final: 1. Trinidad & Tobago (Bramble, Phillip, Paul), 41.938; 2. Argentina, 44.474; Third: 3. Ecuador, 45.260; 4. Chile, 46.062.
1,000 m Time Trial: 1. Kevin Quintero (COL), 57.508; 2. Santiago Ramirez (COL), 58.452; 3. Vincent de Haitre (CAN), 58.951. Also: 5. Eric Young (USA), 59.563; … 9. John Croom (USA), 1:01.034.
4,000 m Individual Pursuit/Final: 1. Ashton Lambie (USA), 4:05.423 (World Record; old, 4:06.407, Lambie in heats; old, 4:07.251, Lambie, 2018); 2. Brayan Sanchez (COL), lapped; Third: 3. Jay Lamoreaux (CAN), 4:12:413; 4. Croom (USA), lapped.
Team Pursuit/Final: 1. Canada (Gee, Foley, De Haitre, Lamoreaux), 3:49.974; 2. United States (Daniel Holloway, John Croom, Eric Young, Ashton Lambie), 3:52.747. Third: Colombia, 4:02.282; 4. Mexico, 4:02.376.
Keirin: 1. Kevin Quintero (COL); 2. Santiago Ramirez (COL); 3. Keron Bramble (TTO).
Points Race: 1. Michael Foley (CAN), 40; 2. Ignacio Sarabia (MEX), 33; 3. Sanchez (COL), 31. Also: 5. Daniel Holloway (USA), 20.
Scratch Race: 1. Eric Young (USA); 2. Ignacio Prado (MEX); 3. Aidan Caves (CAN).
Omnium: 1. Derek Gee (CAN), 186; 2. Prado (MEX), 159; 3. Gavin Hoover (USA), 144.
Madison: 1. Ignacio Sarabia/Ignacio Prado (MEX), 61; 2. Adrian Hegyvary/Daniel Holloway (USA), 47; 3. Antonio Cabrera/Matias Arriagada (CHI), 32.
Women
Sprint/Final: 1. Kelsey Mitchell (CAN); 2. Martha Bayona (COL); Third: 3. Mandy Marquardt (USA); 4. Luz Gaxiola (MEX). In qualifying: Bayona, 10.360 (World Record; old, 10.384, Kristina Vogel (GER), 2013); later improved by Mitchell, 10.154.
Team Sprint/Final: 1. Kelsey Mitchell/Lauriane Genest (CAN), 32.267; 2. Jessica Salazar/Yuli Verdugo (MEX), 32.455. Third: 3. Juliana Gaviria/Diana Garcia (COL), 33.708; 4. Lisandra Guerra/Thalia Diaz (CUB), 34.523.
500 m Time Trial: 1. Jessica Salazar (MEX), 32.842; 2. Bayona (COL), 33.083; 3. Gaxiola (MEX), 33.134.
3,000 m Individual Pursuit/Final: 1. Georgia Simmerling (CAN), 3:22.091; 2. Annie Foreman-Mackey (CAN), 3:24.449; Third: 3. Emma White (USA), 3:28.331; 4. Christina Birch (USA), 3:31.716.
Team Pursuit/Final: 1. Canada (Beveridge, Foreman-Mackey, Bonhomme, Simmerling), 4:13.488; 2. United States (Christina Birch, Emma White, Kendall Ryan, Lily Williams), 4:16.928; Third: 3. Mexico, 4:27.474; 4. Colombia, 4:32.888.
Keirin: 1. Lauriane Genest (CAN); 2. Bayona (COL); 3. Mitchell (CAN). Also: 6. Marquardt (USA).
Points Race: 1. Jennifer Valente (USA), 79; 2. Sofia Arreola (MEX), 35; 3. Lina Hernandez (COL), 33.
Scratch Race: 1. Valente (USA); 2. Lizbeth Salazar (MEX); 3. Kinley Gibson (CAN).
Madison: 1. Jennifer Valente/Kendall Ryan (USA), 33; Jessica Bonilla/Lizbeth Salazar (MEX), 29; 3. Wellyda dos Santos/Daniela Christine (BRA), 20.
Omnium: 1. Valente (USA), 201; 2. Allison Beveridge (CAN), 123; 3. Maribel Aguirre (ARG), 109.