This one is for the experience. By Rio 2016, it will be for the podium.
Gillian Carleton of Victoria, 2012 London Summer Olympics bronze medallist in team pursuit, stepped up to the omnium event Saturday at the 2013 UCI world track cycling championships in Minsk, Belarus, to take over from retired former Canadian star Tara Whitten of Edmonton.
Carleton, who earlier in the week at the worlds helped sa国际传媒 to win bronze in team pursuit, was ninth Saturday after the first day of the multi-event omnium. The 21-year-old St. Margaret鈥檚 grad had 30 points in the reverse-scoring system following the points race, flying lap and elimination race. The competition concludes today with the individual pursuit, scratch race and time trial.
London Olympics-silver medallist Sarah Hammer of the U.S. led with nine points after the first three races Saturday with Katarzyna Pawlowska of Poland second at 11, defending Olympic-champion Laura Trott of Great Britain third at 14 and London bronze-medallist Annette Edmondson of Australia fourth at 15.
Carleton has big pedal straps to fill for sa国际传媒 in the event in which Whitten was two-time world champion in 2010 and 2011 before settling for fourth last year at the London Olympics.
鈥淚n terms of taking on the omnium, I鈥檓 pretty excited about it,鈥� said Carleton, from Minsk.
鈥淚 feel like in the last year of watching Tara [Whitten] compete, I鈥檝e learned some of the best lessons in terms of how to prepare mentally and physically. For me, this world championships will be a good learning experience and the chance to continue practising my bunch-race abilities after the World Cup at Mexico in January [in which Carleton was a breakthrough fourth].鈥�
Carleton was among the 48 Island athletes to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics, and one of the London medal winners among that Island group along with swimmers Ryan Cochrane and Richard Weinberger and the Elk Lake-based Canadian men鈥檚 rowing eight.
