Olympics: Canada's Kelsey Mitchell wins gold medal in women's Sprint

Canada’s Kelsey Mitchell won the women’s Sprint at the Tokyo Olympic Games, with the Canadian rider only needing two of the three heats to beat Olena Starikova of the Ukraine and secure gold.

Mitchell, the second fastest qualifier in the event and the world record holder in the flying 200, entered the final lap of both heats on the front. Starikova closed in both times but the Canadian’s impressive turn of speed meant she stayed clear to the line.

“People talk about visualisation a lot in sports, and I don’t know if I did it on purpose, but I could see myself on the podium,” Mitchell said. 

“I decided to go and execute it, so I am super excited to step on that first step.”

Mitchell’s gold medal is only the second for Canada on the track at the Olympics, with the only other coming from Lori-Ann Muenzer in the women’s sprint in 2004.

In the bronze medal competition it was a triumph of tactics, with Lee Wai Sze of Hong Kong again only needing two rounds to secure the final medal ahead of Emma Hinze of Germany.

Hinze had looked like the rider to beat in the battle, with the reigning world champion taking Mitchell to three rounds in the semi-final battle. 

However, Lee couldn’t have been more convincing in the first heat, with the rider from Hong Kong launching the sprint early and running away with the win as Hinze decided to conserve for the next run. Lee was again was in control in the second ride, powering past Hinze in the run up to the line to take bronze with one round to spare. 

Quarter and Semi-finals

Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) advanced to the gold medal final of the women's sprint but needed the third-race decider to send Emma Hinze (Germany) to the bronze medal round.

Olena Starikova (Ukraine) beat Lee Wai Sze (Hong Kong) in her semifinal in two races to face Mitchell for the gold.

In the quarterfinal, Mitchell beat fellow Canadian Lauriane Genest 2-0, while Lee beat Great Britain’s Katy Marchant with equally impressive speed and sprinting skills.

Hinze topped women's Keirin gold medalist Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands) to advance to the semifinals, while Lee knocked out Great Britain's Katy Marchant.

Starikova needed a third race to beat Lea Sophie Friedrich of Germany but used her late surge to win twice to go through to the semifinals, where she will face Lee. Mitchell and Hinze will contest the other semi-final.

Opening up the competition

Twelve riders remain in contention in the women’s sprint at the Tokyo Olympics after the opening day of competition, where Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany) delivered two assured sprints after setting a new Olympic record in the qualification round.

Friedrich defeated Migle Marozaite (Lithuania) and Madalyn Godby (USA) to qualify for Saturday’s 1/8 finals, where she will meet Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Olympic Committee).

Friedrich’s fellow German Emma Hinze is also safely through to the final twelve, where she will face Zhong Tianshi (China), already a gold medallist in the team sprint. New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews emerged victorious in the repechage and she will take on Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) in the 1/8 finals.

Katy Marchant (Great Britain) showed few ill effects from her crash in the keirin as she qualified to face Lauriane Genest (Canada) in the 1/8 finals, while keirin champion Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands) will face Olena Starikova (Ukraine), and Mathilde Gros (France) will line up against Lee Wai-Sze (Hong Kong).

Germany's Friedrich fastest women's Sprint qualifier

Germany's Lea Sophie Friedrich qualified in first place for the women's sprint at the  Tokyo Olympic Games, setting a new Olympic record for the 200-metre flying start in the process.

The world record was safe though, with the woman who set it in 2019, Canada's Kelsey Mitchell taking the second best qualifying time while it was another German rider, world champion Emma Hinze, who slotted into third place.

It wasn't long after the 30 riders set out that we saw the Olympic Record of 10.721 set by Great Britain’s Rebecca James in 2016 at Rio fall. The eighth rider out on the Izu Velodrome Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand set the early mark of 10.563, with the 21 year-old showing that the fast finish that delivered her the Keirin silver on Thursday could also make her a formidable rival in the sprint.

It wasn’t until another ten riders had lined up that a new record was set, with Mathilde Gros of France delivering a time of 10.400. Then the record fell again with Friedrich delivering a time of 10.31. In the end 17 riders delivered a qualifying time below the Rio record.

France's Gros held on for fourth, while Andrews early Olympic Record breaking time left her in 11th place. Katy Marchant of Great Britain, was the last rider to start, slotting into eighth place after having suffered a crash in the quarter final of the Keiren on Thursday. Dutch rider Laurine van Riessen, who Marchant came down with, was out of the competition due to her injuries.

In the qualifying round riders complete a flying 200 metre time-trial, with times taken after two-and-a-half build up laps, with the fastest 24 of the 30 riders qualifying. It also determines the seeding order for the more tactical sprints ahead, starting with the 1/32 finals. The main rounds, excluding the repechages are a 1/16 finals round, 1/8 finals, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.

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Women's Sprint Final Classification
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kelsey Mitchell (Canada)
2Olena Starikova (Ukraine)
3Lee Wai Sze (Hong Kong, China)
4Emma Hinze (Germany)
5Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany)
6Katy Marchant (Great Britain)
7Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands)
8Lauriane Genest (Canada)
9Mathilde Gros (France)
10Tianshi Zhong (People's Republic of China)
11Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand)
12Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Olympic)
13Kaarle McCulloch (Australia)
14Yuka Kobayashi (Japan)
15Bao Shanju(People's Republic of China)
16Madalyn Godby (United States Of America)
17Daria Shmeleva (Russian Olympic)
18Luz Daniela Gaxiola Gonzalez (Mexico)
19Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania)
20Yuli Verdugo Osuna (Mexico)
21Lee Hyejin(Korea)
22Charlene du Preez (South Africa)
23Liubov Basova (Ukraine)
24Migle Marozaite (Lithuania)
25Urszula Los (Poland)
26Marlena Karwacka (Poland)
27Kirstie James (New Zealand)
28Jessica Lee Hoi Yan (Hong Kong, China)
29Coralie Demay (France)
DNSLaurine van Riessen (Netherlands)
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Women's Sprint Qualifying
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany) 0:00:10.310
2Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) 0:00:10.346
3Emma Hinze (Germany) 0:00:10.381
4Mathilde Gros (France) 0:00:10.400
5Lauriane Genest (Canada) 0:00:10.460
6Olena Starikova (Ukraine) 0:00:10.461
7Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands) 0:00:10.479
8Katy Marchant (Great Britain) 0:00:10.495
9Wai sze Lee (Hong Kong, China) 0:00:10.538
10Tianshi Zhong (People's Republic of China) 0:00:10.559
11Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) 0:00:10.563
12Daria Shmeleva (Russian Olympic) 0:00:10.667
13Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Olympic) 0:00:10.669
14Kaarle Mcculloch (Australia) 0:00:10.679
15Luz Daniela Gaxiola Gonzalez (Mexico) 0:00:10.682
16Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) 0:00:10.706
17Yuka Kobayashi (Japan) 0:00:10.711
18Shanju Bao (People's Republic of China) 0:00:10.723
19Yuli Verdugo Osuna (Mexico) 0:00:10.818
20Madalyn Godby (United States Of America) 0:00:10.869
21Hyejin Lee (Korea) 0:00:10.904
22Charlene du Preez (South Africa) 0:00:10.974
23Liubov Basova (Ukraine) 0:00:10.981
24Migle Marozaite (Lithuania) 0:00:11.031
25Urszula Los (Poland) 0:00:11.047
26Marlena Karwacka (Poland) 0:00:11.083
27Kirstie James (New Zealand) 0:00:11.116
28Hoi yan Jessica Lee (Hong Kong, China) 0:00:11.232
29Coralie Demay (France) 0:00:11.849
DNSLaurine van Riessen (Netherlands)
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 1
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany) 0:00:11.226
2Migle Marozaite (Lithuania) 0:00:00.370
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 2
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) 0:00:11.105
2Liubov Basova (Ukraine) 0:00:00.535
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 3
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Emma Hinze (Germany) 0:00:10.923
2Charlene du Preez (South Africa) 0:00:00.415
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 4
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Mathilde Gros (France) 0:00:11.216
2Hyejin Lee (Korea) 0:00:00.797
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 5
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Lauriane Genest (Canada) 0:00:11.102
2Madalyn Godby (United States Of America) 0:00:00.121
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 6
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Olena Starikova (Ukraine) 0:00:10.870
2Yuli Verdugo Osuna (Mexico) 0:00:00.107
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 7
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands) 0:00:10.979
2Shanju Bao (People's Republic of China) 0:00:00.152
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 8
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Katy Marchant (Great Britain) 0:00:11.134
2Yuka Kobayashi (Japan) 0:00:00.612
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 9
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Wai sze Lee (Hong Kong, China) 0:00:11.196
2Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) 0:00:00.102
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 10
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Tianshi Zhong (People's Republic of China) 0:00:10.744
2Luz Daniela Gaxiola Gonzalez (Mexico) 0:00:00.087
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 11
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) 0:00:10.996
2Kaarle Mcculloch (Australia) 0:00:00.255
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Heat 12
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Olympic) 0:00:11.340
2Daria Shmeleva (Russian Olympic) 0:00:00.056
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Repechage Heat 1
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Yuka Kobayashi (Japan) 0:00:11.335
2Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) 0:00:00.052
3Migle Marozaite (Lithuania) 0:00:00.265
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Repechage Heat 2
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Shanju Bao (People's Republic of China) 0:00:10.913
2Luz Daniela Gaxiola Gonzalez (Mexico) 0:00:00.027
3Liubov Basova (Ukraine) 0:00:00.602
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Repechage Heat 3
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kaarle Mcculloch (Australia) 0:00:11.194
2Yuli Verdugo Osuna (Mexico) 0:00:00.041
3Charlene du Preez (South Africa) 0:00:00.354
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Women's Sprint 1/32 Final Repechage Heat 4
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Madalyn Godby (United States Of America) 0:00:11.372
2Hyejin Lee (Korea) 0:00:00.054
3Daria Shmeleva (Russian Olympic) 0:00:00.057
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Heat 1
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany) 0:00:11.085
2Madalyn Godby (United States Of America) 0:00:00.391
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Heat 2
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) 0:00:11.198
2Kaarle Mcculloch (Australia) 0:00:00.135
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Heat 3
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Emma Hinze (Germany) 0:00:10.904
2Shanju Bao (People's Republic of China) 0:00:00.201
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Heat 4
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Mathilde Gros (France) 0:00:11.292
2Yuka Kobayashi (Japan) 0:00:00.485
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Heat 5
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Lauriane Genest (Canada) 0:00:11.251
2Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Olympic) 0:00:00.035
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Heat 6
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Olena Starikova (Ukraine) 0:00:10.900
2Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) 0:00:00.026
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Heat 7
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands) 0:00:10.912
2Tianshi Zhong (People's Republic of China) 0:00:00.030
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Heat 8
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Katy Marchant (Great Britain) 0:00:10.970
2Wai sze Lee (Hong Kong, China) 0:00:00.025
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Repechage Heat 1
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Wai sze Lee (Hong Kong, China) 0:00:11.402
2Madalyn Godby (United States Of America) 0:00:00.168
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Repechage Heat 2
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Tianshi Zhong (People's Republic of China) 0:00:11.200
2Kaarle Mcculloch (Australia) 0:00:00.117
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Repechage Heat 3
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) 0:00:11.144
2Shanju Bao (People's Republic of China) 0:00:00.234
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Women's Sprint 1/16 Final Repechage Heat 4
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Olympic) 0:00:11.386
2Yuka Kobayashi (Japan) 0:00:00.275
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Women's Sprint 1/8 Final Heat 1
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany) 0:00:11.117
2Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Olympic) 0:00:00.135
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Women's Sprint 1/8 Final Heat 2
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) 0:00:10.883
2Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) 0:00:00.005
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Women's Sprint 1/8 Final Heat 3
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Emma Hinze (Germany) 0:00:11.094
2Tianshi Zhong (People's Republic of China) 0:00:00.359
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Women's Sprint 1/8 Final Heat 4
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Wai sze Lee (Hong Kong, China) 0:00:11.201
2Mathilde Gros (France) 0:00:00.019
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Women's Sprint 1/8 Final Heat 5
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Katy Marchant (Great Britain) 0:00:10.935
2Lauriane Genest (Canada) 0:00:00.179
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Women's Sprint 1/8 Final Heat 6
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands) 0:00:10.889
2Olena Starikova (Ukraine) 0:00:00.045
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Women's Sprint 1/8 Final Repechage Heat 1
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Lauriane Genest (Canada) 0:00:10.968
2Mathilde Gros (France) 0:00:00.001
3Anastasiia Voinova (Russian Olympic) 0:00:00.095
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Women's Sprint 1/8 Final Repechage Heat 2
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Olena Starikova (Ukraine) 0:00:11.074
2Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand) 0:00:00.007
3Tianshi Zhong (People's Republic of China) 0:00:00.056
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Women's Sprint Quarterfinal Heat 1
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Olena Starikova (Ukraine) 0:00:10.977
2Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany)
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Women's Sprint Quarterfinal Heat 2
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) 0:00:11.068
2Lauriane Genest (Canada)
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Women's Sprint Quarterfinal Heat 3
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Emma Hinze (Germany) 0:00:10.829
2Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands)
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Women's Sprint Quarterfinal Heat 4
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Wai sze Lee (Hong Kong, China) 0:00:10.861
2Katy Marchant (Great Britain)
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Women's Sprint Semifinals - Heat 1
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Olena Starikova (Ukraine)
2Lee Wai Sze (Hong Kong, China)
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Women's Sprint Semifinals - Heat 2
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kelsey Mitchell (Canada)
2Emma Hinze (Germany)
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Women's Sprint 5th-8th Final
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
5Lea Sophie Friedrich (Germany)
6Katy Marchant (Great Britain)
7Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands)
8Lauriane Genest (Canada)
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Women's Sprint Finals - Gold
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Kelsey Mitchell (Canada)
2Olena Starikova (Ukraine)
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Women's Sprint Finals - Bronze
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
3Lee Wai Sze (Hong Kong, China)
4Emma Hinze (Germany)

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