Golden start of the European Track Cycling Championships
German sprint women dominate on the wooden oval
2/8/2023, 8:28 p.m
The start of the European Track Cycling Championships could hardly have been better for the BDR team. First Tim Torn Teutenberg wins the first gold medal, then the sprint women triumph with Emma Hinze from Hildesheim in the final. They also bring home the first points for qualifying for Paris 2024.
The German track cycling team started the European Championships in Switzerland with two titles. Tim Torn Teutenberg from Cologne won the gold medal in the elimination round. As expected, the trio from Cottbus won the women’s team sprint on Wednesday in Grenchen.
World champions Pauline Grabosch, Emma Hinze and Lea Sophie Friedrich beat Great Britain (47.639) in the final in 46.865 seconds and successfully defended their European Championship title. Alessa-Catriona Pröpster from Offenbach also played in the preliminary heat and also received gold. The Netherlands took third place.
Teutenberg prevailed superiorly in the elimination round. For the 20-year-old, who is considered one of the greatest German talents on the track, it was the first international medal in the elite area. “I felt very good, and when we were still six drivers, I thought it could be something,” said the new European champion. Teutenberg won the sprint against the Portuguese Rui Oliveira. Dutchman Philip Heijnen took third place.
In the men’s team sprint, national coach Jan van Eijden had to rebuild his team a second time. After Chemnitz’s Stefan Bötticher dropped out with back problems, Cottbus’ Nik Schröter also had to sit out due to illness. With Luca Spiegel, Marc Jurczyk and Maximilian Dörnbach, the team finished fourth in 44.501 seconds. Victory went to Olympic champions Netherlands.
Laura üßmilch is back in the racing action. The 2021 world and European champion fell badly in 2022 at the Tour de France Femmes. With the 25-year-old from Ravensburg, the German quartet finished fourth in the 4,000-meter team pursuit in qualifying in 4:16.942 minutes and is in the intermediate round on Thursday.