T&T’s Makaira Wallace again finished in the silver medal position, this time in the Women's Keirin final for a second such medal to close out the 49th UCI Junior World Track Cycling Championships at Luoyang Velodrome in Luoyang, China, Sunday.
Less than 24 hours after she claimed a historic first-ever medal for T&T at the age-group championship when she also earned a silver in the women’s 500m Time Trial behind Colombian ace Stefany Lorena Cuadrado Florez, the 18-year-old T&T cyclist had to play second best to her South American rival over the six-lap final, but only after avoiding a collision with Malaysian Alyssa Mohd Farid.
Pre-race favourite Florez sat at the head of the six riders for most of the way behind the Derny (motorised bicycle) with Italian Matilde Cenci, Wallace and the trio New Zealand's Caitlin Kelly, third in the event last year, Farid and Australian Liliya Tatarinoff trailing in that order.
However, as the Derny made way at the half-way mark of the event, Tatarinoff made a move from the back of the pack to the front and held the lead going into the final lap.
With the gold medal on the line, Florez then surged to the front on the backstretch followed by Wallace, Tatarinoff, Cenci and Farid as they all battled for positions coming into the final bend.
But, while Florez was able to break free of the pack for the win in 11.232 seconds at an average speed of 64.103 kilometres per hour (km/h), Wallace, Tatarinoff, Farid and Cenci were all locked in a battle for the remaining two podium spots.
In the end, the T&T cyclist did well to avoid a bump and the eventual fall of Farid to hold onto the silver medal in 11.541 followed by Cenci (11.562), who just sneaked ahead of Tatarinoff (11.745) for the bronze while Kelly ended in the fifth spot in 12.058.
When the event pedalled off earlier in the day, with the four heats, Florez raced to victory in heat one in 10.465 seconds, with Wallace in the second automatic qualifying spot to the semifinals, 0.064 seconds behind.
Kelly won heat two in 11.465, +0.095 ahead of Great Britain's Georgette Rand while New Zealand's Jodie Blackwood topped heat three in 11.870 followed by Lithuania's Lauryna Valiukeviciute (+0.098) and in heat four, Farid got home first in 11.527 with Tatarinoff, +0.146 seconds behind as they all advanced straight to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Wallace was the top qualifier in heat two in 11.393 at a speed of 63.197 km/h to beat Farid (+0.180) and Kelly (+0.474) across the line as the trio booked their places in the final while Florez won the first semifinal in 10.883 at a speed of 66.158 km/h with Tatarinoff (+1.020) and Cenci (+1.023) in a tight finish behind.
On Saturday, competing in the final, Wallace improved her speed from the qualifying round to cross the finish line in 34.376 seconds at 52.362 km/h for the second spot behind Florez who had the fastest time of 34.312 at 52.460 km/h while China’s Luo Shuyan dropped one spot to third from the heats with a time of 34.407 at 52.315 km/h.
In the Qualifying heat of 24 riders, Wallace clocked 34.483 at an average speed of 52.200 kilometres per hour bettering Kollyn St George's National Junior and Open Women's 2015 time of 35.058 to be the third-fastest among the eight to qualify for the gold medal ride.
Florez topped the field in 34.155 at 52.701 km/h while Shuyan was second in 34.333 at 52.428 km/h.
On Wednesday, Wallace set a new national record of 10.874 in the Women's Sprint Qualifying 200m (3.5 laps), becoming the first local woman to dip under 11 seconds barrier, while improving on her previous record mark of 11.361, before bowing out at the round-of-16
Her battles with Florez have become a customary scene on the international stage as back in June at the Junior Pan American Track Cycling Championships at the Velodrome Videna San Luis in Lima, Peru, Wallace also had to settle for the silver medal in the women’s 500m Time Trial final in 35.075 seconds with Florez winning gold in 34.674 and her countrywoman Mariana Perez Polo, third in 36.754.
She also played second fiddle to Florez in two straight rides in the best-of-three final Women’s Sprint final in Lima.
Last year on home soil, she won two medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games, a silver in the women’s Keirin and a bronze in the 500m.
Also in action yesterday for T&T was Jadian Neaves who ended in 19th in the Men's Elimination Race final after he placed eighth in heat one while Syndel Samaroo who placed 17th in the Men’s 1Km Time Trial qualifiers in 1:03.141 at a speed of 56.924 km/h, a vast improvement on his time at the Pan Am Juniors, where he placed fourth in 1:05.560 at a maximum speed of 54.911 km/h.
