Taiyuan, China (May 31, 2008)--
Shayona Glynn took the lone girls world title for the U.S. on the first day of competition.
The first day of competition in the four-day long event warmed up with the five to 14-year-old girls hitting the track in Taiyuan. The lone American girl to win a world title on the day was Shayona Glynn (Norco, Calif.) in the 13-year-old age division.
In the elite women's event, Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.) was the top U.S. finisher in sixth place as the only American to advance to the main. Shanaze Reade (GBR), Ann-Caroline Chausson (FRA) and Sarah Walker (NZL) earned the top three spots respectively.
Entering the world championships, the U.S. was on the fringe of securing a second women's start position for the Olympic Games. Needing a top-four overall nation's ranking following the event, the U.S. entered the world championships ranked fifth - just one point behind New Zealand, seven points behind Argentina and 13 points off the pace of Australia. Entering the event, France had a commanding hold on the number-one spot. Based on its performance in Taiyuan, the U.S. is expected to retain its fifth-place ranking when the UCI issues its official standings next week.
Arielle Martin (Pleasant Grove, Utah) crashed out in her quarterfinal heat, while Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.) and Stephanie Barragan (Montclair, Calif.) also failed to advance out of the round of 32, leaving Kintner as the only U.S. athlete amongst the final 16 contenders.
2008-06-03
