Oceania’s impressive start to the cycling world road race championships continued on the second day on Tuesday in the time trials, as New Zealand won two medals just a day after Australian riders had dominated.
Hours after James Oram had taken silver in the junior men’s event, Linda Villumsen claimed the Kiwis’ second medal of the championships with a silver in the elite women’s race against the clock.
Adopted New Zealander Villumsen admitted, however, that half of her medal belonged to her native Denmark.
Photo: AFP
“I would say it’s 50-50,” she said when asked who she had won the medal for. “It [Denmark] is still my roots, it will always be here.”
A four-time Danish champion who finished in the top 10 of the Olympic road race in 2008, Villumsen swapped allegiances to ride for New Zealand last year.
What is Denmark’s loss should be New Zealand’s gain.
Having won a maiden world time trial medal, a bronze, in 2009 for Denmark, the 26-year-old from Herning has now won two time-trial medals for New Zealand, bronze last year and now silver.
Villumsen was also second in the Commonwealth Games time trial last year.
And with the women set to battle it out on a London Olympic course, which, like Copenhagen, is not hilly, Villumsen looks odds-on for a medal.
Villumsen admitted, however, she is still coming to terms with the rules of her adopted country’s national sport.
“I do have an All Blacks shirt, but I don’t really watch rugby because I don’t understand all the rules,” she said. “I prefer to watch netball.”
On a damp 27.8km course, which was flat and technical, Judith Arndt finally ended her quest for an elusive gold in the discipline.
Germany’s former world road race champion pushed Villumsen down to second place when she stopped the clock at 37 minutes, 7.38 seconds.
Villumsen timed 37:29.11, while Britain’s defending champion Emma Pooley took the bronze in 37:31.51.
It was Pooley, however, who arguably got the biggest boost. Known for her climbing skills, which got her Olympic time-trial silver in Beijing, her bronze showed her that she, too, can harbor hopes of a medal in London.
“I’m quite pleased, I was hoping for a place in the top 10 so it’s great to get on the podium,” Pooley said.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
RSS