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Repeat performance Tournant nips Kelly at Track Cycling Championships
Posted: Wednesday October 20, 1999 07:35 PM
BERLIN (AP) -- France's Arnauld Tournant repeated as gold medalist Wednesday in the 1,000-meter time trials in the World Track Cycling Championship, which opened with two riders failing drug tests. Tournant, the event's last rider, finished in 1 minute, 02.436 seconds to take gold away from Australia's Shane Kelly, whose time was 1:02.436. It was the same finish as last year's worlds held in France. Kelly believes he can turn the tables on the Frenchman in the 2000 Olympics at Sydney. "I think I have a very good chance of winning there with the home crowd behind me," said Kelly, who has won four golds in various disciplines in world championships. Germany's Robert Bartko captured the 4,000-meter individual pursuit, but another German was among two riders who failed drug tests on Wednesday. Sprinter Jan van Eijden, a former junior world champion, and Lithuania's Edita Kubelskiene were banned for at least 15 days after testing showed their red corpuscle count was too high. That's often an indication the banned drug EPO was used. Bartko overtook fellow German Jens Lehmann, the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist, after 3 1/2 laps to win the 4,000 finals. Italy's Maurio Trentini, whom Bartko also caught in the semifinals, was third in 4:25.079 and Russia's Alexei Markov fourth in 4:27.572. Germany started strongly with a gold, silver and bronze, after Stefan Nimke was a surprise third in the 1,000 time trials in 1:03.110. Erin Hartwell of the United States, one of the favorites to battle Tournant and Kelly in the 1,000, skipped the worlds because of a knee injury. France is again favored to lead the medal count in the five-day event after winning six golds, a silver and two bronze last year in Bordeaux. Many of the 37 countries entered are hoping to use the worlds to qualify for Olympic events.
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