2022 Track Cycling World Championships: Friedrich races to gold again - "I've never cried like this"
DPA
· 16.10.2022
Lea Sophie Friedrich let out a loud cry of joy, tapping her handlebars with sheer delight. Then the German top sprinter was in tears after a furious final.
Friedrich once again Keirin World Champion at Track Cycling World Championships
Friedrich crowned himself once again at the end of the Track Cycling World Championships on the Olympic track in Paris Keirin world champion. With two gold medals and one silver, the 22-year-old exceptional athlete became the star of the German team and won her seventh World Championship title.
"I've never cried like this, I don't even know what to say? Defending the title is just so nice. I knew that if I died in the last round, it could be enough. I didn't want to wait and then lose. It's very, very nice to have won another gold medal," said Friedrich.
Friedrich, who rode a brilliant two-lap sprint from the front on the wooden oval in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, also outperformed her team-mate Emma Hinze. The 25-year-old had already packed her bags on Saturday and ended her World Championship appearance prematurely.
Hinze ended the World Championship chapter early
659 days before the Olympic track cycling competitions, Friedrich is certainly well prepared, even though the German sprint stars were nowhere near as dominant as in the past two years. There were several chants of "Allez les Bleus" in the French cauldron, but in the end it was Friedrich who cheered again.
Hinze had already finished the World Championship chapter by then, after the title in the 500 metre time trial, which was firmly in her sights, had been snatched away from her the day before by the 20-year-old Frenchwoman Marie-Divine Kouamé. "I realise that my body has sent me a signal and I just have to accept that. It won't do me any good if I only run backwards afterwards," said Hinze, explaining her decision not to take part in the final keirin discipline.
Kluge & Reinhardt miss another coup
Another coup on Sunday In contrast, two-time world champions Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt missed out in the two-man team race clearly. After 50 kilometres, the European champions only managed eighth place. "It was a world-class field. It was fun, but in the end there was a lack of nuances," said Kluge. France triumphed here too with Donavan Grondin and Benjamin Thomas. The Olympic hosts - also supported by the frenetic crowd - are ready for the Olympics.
Hinze and Co. got a taste of what they could be facing in 2024. Not only did she have to battle against two very strong French rivals, but also against 5000 spectators who frenetically cheered on the weaker times of the German top favourite Hinze compared to her victorious favourite Marie-Divine Kouamé in the 500-metre time trial on Saturday.
Impressive record for the German team at the 2022 Track Cycling World Championships
Unfair or simply French national pride? Hinze did not want to deal with this question. "I only noticed the noise level before and after. I can't change it. When we race in Berlin, the crowd is on our side. You have to deal with it," said the Hildesheim native. National coach Jan van Eijden had a similar view: "The question is: Is the crowd for the French or against the Germans? That's a matter of interpretation. When you're in Colombia, it's similar. It's similar with the British."
The title fights ended with three gold, three silver and one bronze medal for the German team. "We are very satisfied with our performance. I think we are on the right track," summarised BDR Sports Director Patrick Moster. Nevertheless, there is still homework to be done - especially for the men, who only won one medal through 36-year-old Kluge. "At the moment, the women are supporting us very strongly and are the main pillar, but that will certainly not be the case in the long term," said Moster.
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