April 07, 2012 (Melbourne, Australia) – Tara Whitten of Edmonton, Alberta, raced to the fourth place in the women’s Omnium at the 2012 UCI Track World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Whitten cumulated a total of 39 points in the six-discipline event – only three shy of the bronze medal.

Yesterday, she ended the day in sixth place in the overall standings, after finishing fourth of the flying lap, eleventh of the points race and seventh in the elimination race.

Today, the task to close the gap to grab a medal was anticipated to be difficult for Whitten. With two races as individual timed events –an area in which Whitten excels – everything was still possible for the two-time Omnium World Champion.

Whitten opened the day with a win in the individual pursuit to get right back in the game. Then, in the mass-start scratch race, Whitten crossed the line in eleventh place. In the final race, the time trial, Whitten had to win in order have a chance to step on the podium. Unfortunately, she went on to finish in sixth place.

Laura Trott of Great Britain took the World title with 28 points, followed by Annette Edmondson of Australia with 31 points with the silver and American Sarah Hammer in third with 36 points.

Although her fourth-place finish is the first time Whitten is off the podium, the defending Omnium World Champ had made it very clear on Wednesday after the Women’s Team Pursuit that these World Championships were not a priority, and that this is part of the overall training plan for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Today as well Calgary’s Monique Sullivan took part in the women’s Keirin and placed fourth in her opening heat. In the first round Repechage Sullivan was second behind veteran Pendleton (GBR) and finished 13th overall.

Sunday is the last day of competition and Whitten will take part in the Individual pursuit, the event she won during the omnium race.

Results

Women Omnium

Individual Pursuit
1. Tara Whitten (Canada)    03:30.011
2. Sarah Hammer (USA)    03:31.651
3. Laura Trott (Great Britain)    03:31.789
4. Annette Edmondson (Australia)    03:32.454
5. Evgenia Romanyuta (Russia)    03:36.049
6. Tatsiana Sharakova (Belarus)    03:37.528
7. Svitlana Galyuk (Ukraine)    03:38.111
8. Li Huang (China)    03:38.894
9. Leire Olaberria Dorronsoro (Spain)    03:38.938
10. Lisa Brennauer (Germany)    03:40.621
11. Jolien D’Hoore (Belgium)    03:41.749
12. Kanako Kase (Japan)    03:42.145
13. Pascale Jeuland (France)    03:42.514
14. Marlies Mejias Garcia (Cuba)    03:42.593
15. Malgorzata Wojtyra (Poland)    03:43.073
16. Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand)    03:43.594
17. Sofia Arreola Navarro (Mexico)    03:43.882
18. Angie Sabrina Gonzalez Garcia (Venezuela)    03:48.501
19. Mei Yu Hsiao (Taipei)    03:48.701
20. Min Hye Lee (Korea)    03:49.255
21. Jarmila Machacova (Czech Republic)    03:49.534
22. Zhao Juan Meng (Hong Kong)    03:58.037
23. Diana Maria Garcia Orrego (Colombia)    04:07.710

Scratch Race
1. Leire Olaberria Dorronsoro (Spain)
2. Jolien D’Hoore (Belgium)
3. Sofia Arreola Navarro (Mexico)
4. Li Huang (China)
5. Kanako Kase (Japan)
6. Mei Yu Hsiao (Taipei)
7. Marlies Mejias Garcia (Cuba)
8. Angie Sabrina Gonzalez Garcia (Venezuela)
9. Sarah Hammer (USA)
10. Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand)
11. Tara Whitten (Canada)
12. Evgenia Romanyuta (Russia)
13. Laura Trott (Great Britain)
14. Annette Edmondson (Australia)
15. Lisa Brennauer (Germany)
16. Svitlana Galyuk (Ukraine)
17. Zhao Juan Meng (Hong Kong)
18. Malgorzata Wojtyra (Poland)
19. Min Hye Lee (Korea)
20. Tatsiana Sharakova (Belarus)
21. Pascale Jeuland (France)
22. Jarmila Machacova (Czech Republic)
23. Diana Maria Garcia Orrego (Colombia)

Time Trial
1. Laura Trott (Great Britain)    35.173
2. Annette Edmondson (Australia)    35.180
3. Mei Yu Hsiao (Taipei)    35.933
4. Sarah Hammer (USA)    36.171
5. Marlies Mejias Garcia (Cuba)    36.281
6. Tara Whitten (Canada)    36.291
7. Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand)    36.381
8. Li Huang (China)    36.387
9. Tatsiana Sharakova (Belarus)    36.395
10. Jolien D’Hoore (Belgium)    36.414
11. Leire Olaberria Dorronsoro (Spain)    36.423
12. Malgorzata Wojtyra (Poland)    36.436
13. Kanako Kase (Japan)    36.516
14. Diana Maria Garcia Orrego (Colombia)    36.763
15. Evgenia Romanyuta (Russia)    36.857
16. Angie Sabrina Gonzalez Garcia (Venezuela)    36.885
17. Lisa Brennauer (Germany)    36.963
18. Min Hye Lee (Korea)    37.085
19. Zhao Juan Meng (Hong Kong)    37.098
20. Svitlana Galyuk (Ukraine)    37.694
21. Sofia Arreola Navarro (Mexico)    37.88
22. Pascale Jeuland (France)    38.837
23. Jarmila Machacova (Czech Republic)    39.367

Final Standings
1. Laura Trott (Great Britain)    28 pts
2. Annette Edmondson (Australia)    31
3. Sarah Hammer (USA)    36
4. Tara Whitten (Canada)    39
5. Li Huang (China)    53
6. Evgenia Romanyuta (Russia)    56
7. Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand)    61
8. Leire Olaberria Dorronsoro (Spain)    62
9. Jolien D’Hoore (Belgium)    63
10. Mei Yu Hsiao (Taipei)    64
11. Lisa Brennauer (Germany)    68
12. Malgorzata Wojtyra (Poland)    69
13. Tatsiana Sharakova (Belarus)    71
14. Kanako Kase (Japan)    79
15. Angie Sabrina Gonzalez Garcia (Venezuela)    79
16. Marlies Mejias Garcia (Cuba)    84
17. Svitlana Galyuk (Ukraine)    87
18. Sofia Arreola Navarro (Mexico)    94
19. Zhao Juan Meng (Hong Kong)    94
20. Pascale Jeuland (France)    103
21. Jarmila Machacova (Czech Republic)    109
22. Min Hye Lee (Korea)    116
23. Diana Maria Garcia Orrego (Colombia)    150
DNF Ausrine Trebaite (Lithuania)

Women’s Keirin

First Round

Heat 1
1. Anna Meares (Australia)
2. Kristina Vogel (Germany)
3. Wai Sze Lee (Hong Kong)
4. Natasha Hansen (New Zealand)
5. Willy Kanis (Netherlands)

Heat 2
1. Clara Sanchez (France)
2. Kaarle Mcculloch (Australia)
3. Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain)
4. Miriam Welte (Germany)
5. Viktoria Baranova (Russia)

Heat 3
1. Shuang Guo (China)
2. Sandie Clair (France)
3. Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania)
4. Monique Sullivan (Canada)      
5. Katie Schofield (New Zealand)
6. Olena Tsos (Ukraine)

Heat 4
1. Mu Di (China)
2. Fatehah Mustapa (Malaysia)
3. Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez (Cuba)
4. Ekaterina Gnidenko (Russia)
5. Daniela Grelui Larreal Chirinos (Venezuela)
6. Maryia Lohvinava (Belarus)

First 2 riders in each heat qualifies to the second round, remainder to first round repechages.

First Round Repechage

Heat 1
1. Ekaterina Gnidenko (Russia)
2. Wai Sze Lee (Hong Kong)
3. Katie Schofield (New Zealand)

Heat 2
1. Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain)
2. Monique Sullivan (Canada)  
3. Viktoria Baranova (Russia)

Heat 3
1. Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania)
2. Willy Kanis (Netherlands)
3. Miriam Welte (Germany)
4. Maryia Lohvinava (Belarus)

Heat 4
1. Olena Tsos (Ukraine)
2. Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez (Cuba)
3. Natasha Hansen (New Zealand)
4. Daniela Grelui Larreal Chirinos (Venezuela)

First rider in each heat qualifies to second round.

Second Round

Heat 1
1. Anna Meares (Australia)
2. Mu Di (China)
3. Ekaterina Gnidenko (Russia)
4. Kaarle Mcculloch (Australia)
5. Sandie Clair (France)
6. Olena Tsos (Ukraine)

Heat 2
1. Clara Sanchez (France)
2. Kristina Vogel (Germany)
3. Shuang Guo (China)
4. Fatehah Mustapa (Malaysia)
5. Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania)
6. Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain)

First 3 riders in each heat advance to final 1-6, others to final 7-12   

Finals 1-6
1. Anna Meares (Australia)
2. Ekaterina Gnidenko (Russia)
3. Kristina Vogel (Germany)
4. Shuang Guo (China)
5. Clara Sanchez (France)
6. Mu Di (China)

Finals 7-12
7. Sandie Clair (France)
8. Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania)
9. Kaarle McCulloch (Australia)
10. Olena Tsos (Ukraine)
11. Fatehah Mustapa (Malaysia)
12. Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain)

Men’s Individual Pursuit

Qualifications
1. Michael Hepburn (Australia)    04:13.224
2. Jack Bobridge (Australia)    04:14.783
3. Rohan Dennis (Australia)    04:16.051
4. Westley Gough (New Zealand)    04:17.001
5. Geraint Thomas (Great Britain)    04:17.265
6. Peter Latham (New Zealand)    04:18.152
7. Dominique Cornu (Belgium)    04:19.479
8. Asier Maeztu Billelabeitia (Spain)    04:23.334
9. Kevin Labeque (France)    04:23.859
10. Ingmar De Poortere (Belgium)    04:25.931
11. Valery Kaykov (Russia)    04:26.333
12. Levi Heimans (Netherlands)    04:26.569
13. Casper Folsach (Denmark)    04:26.762
14. Sunjae Jang (Korea)    04:26.946
15. Sebastian Mora Vedri (Spain)    04:28.094
16. Stefan Schaefer (Germany)    04:31.763
17. Claudio Imhof (Switzerland)    04:33.444
18. Dias Omirzakov (Kazakhstan)    04:35.253
19. Edison Bravo (Chile)    04:35.716
20. Tim Veldt (Netherlands)    04:35.977
21. King Lok Cheung (Hong Kong)    04:37.450
DNS Carlos Daniel Linares Zambrano (Venezuela)

Final for Gold
1. Michael Hepburn (Australia)    4:15.839
2. Jack Bobridge (Australia)    4:16.313

Final for Bronze
3. Westley Gough (New Zealand)    4:16.945
4. Rohan Dennis (Australia)    4:18.594

Men’s Sprint

Semi Finals

Heat 1
1. Gregory Bauge (France)    10.416, 10.189
2. Shane Perkins (Australia)

Heat 2
1. Jason Kenny (Great Britain)    10.441, 10.403
2. Chris Hoy (Great Britain)

Finals

Race for Gold
1. Gregory Bauge (France)    10.493, 11.627
2. Jason Kenny (Great Britain)         REL

Race for Bronze
3. Chris Hoy (Great Britain)    10.573, 10.348
4. Shane Perkins (Australia)

Men’s Points Race – 160 laps (40km)
1. Cameron Meyer (Australia)    33 pts
2. Ben Swift (Great Britain)    32 (-1 lap)
3. Kenny De Ketele (Belgium)    30 (-1 lap)
4. Aaron Gate (New Zealand)    28
5. Unai Elorriaga Zubiaur (Spain)    24 (-1 lap)
6. Angelo Ciccone (Italy)    19 (-1 lap)
7. Rafal Ratajczyk (Poland)    10 (-1 lap)
8. Milan Kadlec (Czech Republic)    6 (-1 lap)
9. Silvan Dillier (Switzerland)    6 (-1 lap)
10. Vladimir Tuychiev (Uzbekistan)    4 (-1 lap)
11. Ho Ting Kwok (Hong Kong)    3 (-1 lap)
12. Andreas Graf (Austria)    2 (-1 lap)
13. Luis Sepulveda (Chile)    1 (-1 lap)
14. Peter Schep (Netherlands)    1 (-1 lap)
15. Jakob Steigmiller (Germany)    1  (-1 lap)
16. Vivien Brisse (France) (-2 laps)
17. Yousif Alhammadi (United Arab Emirates) (-2 laps)
DNF Seungwoo Choi (Korea)
DNF Hariff Salleh (Malaysia)
DNF Ivan Savitsky (Russia)