Aguascalientes, Mexico- On the third day of the Pan-American Track Cycling Championships, U.S. riders collected three more medals and set a World Record, bringing the total medal count thus far to eight.
The day began with the men’s preliminary round of the Individual Pursuit where Gavin Hoover (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) clocked a time of 4:14.2 breaking Taylor Phinney’s American Record of 4:15.16. Moments later, Ashton Lambie (Lawrence, Kan.) took the track and again lowered the American record to a time of 4:07.25, also shattering the previous World Record of 4:10.534 set by Australian Jack Bobridge in 2011.
Later that evening, Lambie and Hoover faced off in the finals earning gold and silver medals respectively with Lambie’s winning time being 4:09.82.
Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif.) collected her third gold medal of the competition in the Omnium finishing 12 points ahead of second place.
“While we expected to be competitive at Pan-Ams based on our progress over the last year, our performances are exceeding our expectations so far,” said Scott Schnitzspahn, Vice President of Elite Athletics for USA Cycling, “It’s nice to hear the Star Spangled Banner play so frequently and it bodes well for the upcoming World Cup season. It’s also great to see new faces on the staff and on the track gelling so well together.”
The Pan American Championships are held annually for member nations of the Pan American Cycling Confederation. Riders competing in the Pan American Cycling Championships are selected by their respective national governing bodies and provide another avenue for athletes to qualify for World Championships. A lineup of 10 men and seven women are representing Team USA over the five-day event, which started Aug. 29 and will run through Sept. 2, 2018 at the Aguascalientes Mexico at the Bicentennial Velodrome.
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