Barker’s Bronze Is Britain’s Highlight In Los Angeles World Cup

Elinor Barker claimed a bronze medal in the scratch race at the Track Cycling World Cup in Los Angeles.

Wales’ Olympic champ bagged Britain’s only medal of the event just minutes after finishing fifth in the Madison with Ellie Dickinson.

Barker took the bronze after a final lap sprint behind Ukraine’s Tetyana Klimchenko and Jasmine Duehring of Canada who both took a lap on the field.

It was the Cardiff-born rider’s second individual medal of this World Cup season, following points gold in Apeldoorn last November.

The 22-year-old, who won Team Pursuit gold in Rio, said: ”Fairly happy with bronze.

“With it being so close to the Madison, there was literally not even 15 minutes in between, the plan was to risk it and to sit in for a sprint.

“With 10 laps to go, I thought I had it, I really thought I was going to win it but a couple of riders managed to sneak a lap just before the finish.”

Barker and Dickinson had got off to the perfect start in the Madison earlier by winning the first two sprints.

The pair picked up a single point on sprints five, six and seven to head into the final laps on 13 – just three behind then leaders France, with both Australia and Italy tied in second on 14 points.

The final sprint offered double points with the duo finishing fourth to move to 15 points but out of the medal positions.

Monmouthshire’s Lewis Oliva just missed out on a second World Cup medal of the season as he finished fourth in the keirin.

Oliva was competing for the Welsh Cycling-based Team USN team as Colombia’s Fabian Puerta Zapata won gold.

Abergavenny’s Rachel James qualified 13th fastest in the sprint, beating India’s Deborah Herold in the 1/16 finals.

But she then bowed out to Germany’s Emma Hinze in the following round.

The Welsh duo of Risca’s Sam Harrison and Newport’s Jon Mould finished ninth in the Madison.

The pair won the fourth sprint, but didn’t add to their total of five points as Ireland’s Felix English and Mark Downey took two laps on the field on their way to gold.