Gutted Jess Just Misses Out On Second European Games Medal By A Point

Jess Roberts came so close to bagging a second medal of the European Games in Minsk as she just missed out on omnium bronze by a point.

The 20-year-old from Carmarthen had already won silver in the team pursuit with Cardiff’s Megan Barker, younger sister of world and Olympic champ Elinor.

And she looked good for another medal in her first major omnium event of her career after a spectacular display for Team GB until the final race, the post race.

Roberts finished second in the opening race, the 30-lap scratch, to Holland’s Kirsten Wild who she had beaten in a sprint finish in a road race in France earlier in the month.

https://twitter.com/JessRoberts_99/status/1145220021762875397

Then in the tempo and elimination races Roberts took third place each time behind Wild who won both to secure the gold medal having already won the individual scratch title in Belarus.

That left Roberts in third place overall behind Italy’s Elisa Balsamo going into the point race.

WILD began the omnium with a solid win in the 30-lap scratch, following the same tactics she used the night before in the 40-lap individual scratch.

But as Roberts and the Italian focused on each other, Russia’s Evgeniia Augustinas took the opportunity to gain a lap to snatch second place overall with 123 points – 27 behind Wild.

Roberts finished with 119 point losing out on the bronze to Balsamo by just one point.

Having been called up by Team GB, it meant Roberts was unable to on Sunday defend the national Road Race title she had stunningly won 12 months ago.

 

Roberts and Barker will be back on the track today in the Madison.