Chloe Dygert wins women's individual pursuit with new world record
Sports Scene
Chloe Dygert of the U.S. in action during the UCI Track Cycling World Championship in Berlin, Germany, February 29, 2020. /VCG

Chloe Dygert of the U.S. in action during the UCI Track Cycling World Championship in Berlin, Germany, February 29, 2020. /VCG

Two-time world champion Chloe Dygert won the women's individual pursuit and broke her own world record twice to claim gold at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin, Germany.

Dygert was in form right from qualifying as she took three seconds off her own world record but there was more to come. In the all-important final, the second-fastest qualifier Lisa Brennauer from Germany was up against Dygert and threw a stiff challenge. However, the American was too hot to stop and led from the start while pushing the tempo continuously to open a comfortable winning margin.

Dygert went on to cross the finish line in another new breathtaking record of 3 minutes 16.937 seconds. Silver and bronze went to two Germans, with Brennauer coming second and Franziska Brausse third.

Meanwhile on Day 4, Lea Friedrich of Germany won the 500 meters time trial in 33.121 seconds, edging out Mexico's Jessica Salazar by 33 thousandths of a second. Miriam Vece of Italy took the bronze medal in 33.171. Dutch pair Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters clinched a fifth gold medal for their country in the women's Madison while Clara Copponi and Marie Le Net of France narrowly outpaced Italy's Letizia Paternoster and Elisa Balsamo to win silver.

The day concluded with a gold medal for France in the men's omnium as Benjamin Thomas overpowered his opponents in taking three of the first five sprints, then edged past his closest rival, Dutch rider Jan-Willem van Schip, to win the match. Britain's Matthew Walls claimed bronze.