China's cycling star Lee Wai Sze sprints to women's world title

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Lee Wai Sze of Hong Kong, China, won her first world sprint title when she edged perennial runner-up Stephanie Morton on Friday in Pruszkow.

In the best-of-three final, the 31-year-old Lee won the first two sprints to condemn her Australian opponent to a third silver medal since 2017.

French teen Mathilde Gros edged German Lea Sophie Friedrich to take silver.

Morton had twice finished second at the worlds to Kristina Vogel, the German double Olympic champion who became paraplegic following a training crash last year.

In Friday's final, Morton launched a late sprint in the first leg but Lee caught her.

In the second leg, the Australian tried to surprise Lee by attacking on the penultimate lap but could not hold onto her lead.

Lee won the 500m world title in 2013 but her best showing in the event that crowns cycling's speed queen had been two bronzes, in 2013 and 2017.

Earlier, Frenchman Quentin Lafargue won his first World Championship gold in the men's one kilometer time trial.

France's Quentin Lafargue won the men's 1km time trial at the track cycling World Championships. /VCG Photo

In the men's time trial from a standing start, Lafargue covered the kilometer in one minute 0.029 seconds at an average speed of 59.971 kph.

The 35-year-old Dutchman Theo Bos, who won the first of his five track world titles in 2004, was second, 0.359 seconds behind. Another Frenchman Michael d'Almeida was third in an event that was dropped from the Olympics in 2004.

The 28-year-old Lafargue won three junior world titles in 2008 and already had a small collection of podium places at the World Championships: a bronze in 2016 a silver in 2017 and a silver on Wednesday in the team sprint.

In qualification on Friday, Lafargue was the only rider to break a minute, recording the best time of 59.845sec.

Source(s): AFP