Taylor Phinney wins individual pursuit gold

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Taylor Phinney is only 18 years old, but he has the build and easy charm of a champion.

He's got the genetics too. His mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney won the inaugural women's Olympic road race title in Los Angeles 25 years ago. His father, Davis, was a sprinter who was part of the pioneering 7-Eleven team. He also won a stage of the Tour de France.

Phinney was one of the youngsters Jonathan Vaughters was excited about. Phinney came through the Slipstream team, but late last year, hot on the heels of the Lance Armstrong comeback, Phinney joined the Livestrong-Trek development team.

At the Copenhagen World Cup he won the individual pursuit with a time that rattled Bradley Wiggins's best. It was a 4-15 that raised eyebrows, particularly when he backed it up with victory in the kilometre time trial.

He could be on course to do the same here in Poland. Today, watched by his mother, Phinney rode 4-15.160 to coast through to the gold medal final, where he met another teenager, the Australian Jack Bobridge.

Bobridge has been a part of the Australian team pursuit squad for the past year or so, and has recently made strides on his own. There was no British challenge in an event Wiggins has made his own, winning the last two world titles and the Olympic gold.

But with Wiggins concentrating on the road this season, Britain looked set to give a chance to Ed Clancy, who won the Manchester World Cup at the start of the season, and Steven Burke, the bronze medallist in Beijing.

Three weeks before these championships Clancy broke a small bone in his foot after stubbing his toe. It wasn't serious, but set him back. Then Burke fell ill and lost a crucial few days of training. With the pair key to the team pursuit, British Cycling's management decided not to enter anyone in the individual pursuit.

Jack Bobridge put in a great performance, but couldn't beat Phinney

Phinney on his way to the world title

Phinney, widely tipped to win, capitalised fully. In the final it was very close in the early stages of his clash with Bobridge. The Australian actually sneaked into the lead at one point and after two kilometres they were level. Then Phinney turned on the power and pulled away enough to get his hands on the medal and the rainbow jersey.

Afterwards he said that although he would compete on the road this season, the big goal was still London 2012. "I'll do the track Worlds next year and the year after next, I'd think, all the way to London. That's the big goal right now," he said.

Wiggins is likely to be away from the pinnacle of individual pursuiting for a year, possibly two. The question is how the land will lie when he does return, and whether it's he or Phinney who controls pursuiting.

Results: Men's individual pursuit

1. Taylor Phinney (USA)

2. Jack Bobridge (Aus)

3. Dominique Cornu (Bel)

4. Volodymyr Diudia (Ukr)

Qualifying times

1. Taylor Phinney (USA) 4-15.160

2. Jack Bobridge (Aus) 4-17.419

3. Dominique Cornu (Bel) 4-19.197

4. Volodymyr Diudia (Ukr) 4-19.786

5. Jesse Sergent (NZl) 4-21.253

6. Sergi Escobatr Roure (Spa) 4-23.619

7. Alexei Markov (Rus) 4-23.993

8. Patrick Gretsch (Ger) 4-24.564

9. Robert Bartko (Ger) 4-26.227

10. Vitaliy Shchedov (Ukr) 4-26.508

11. Antonio Tauler (Spa) 4-26.681

12. Antonio Laverde (Col) 4-27.750

13. Levi Heimans (Ned) 4-28.638

14. Ingmar de Poortere (Bel) 4-30.089

15. David O'Loughlin (Ire) 4-32.480

16. Arnaud Depreeuw (Fra) 4-32.559

17. Valery Kaikov (Rus) 4-32.612

18. Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) 4-35.916

19. Jiri Bares (Cze) 4-39.614

20. Alexey Lyalko (Kaz) 4-43.885

DQ Adrian Kurek (Pol)

2009 UCI TRACK CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

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RACE REPORTS

The CW Hub: Track World Championships index

Women's team pursuit: Britain clinch gold

women's team sprint: Reade and Pendleton score silver

Men's scratch race: Cavendish marked out of contention

Men's individual pursuit: Phinney wins gold

Men's team sprint: France beat Britain

Men's Points Race: Newton gets bronze

Women's individual pursuit: Houvenaghel beaten to silver

500m TT: World record for Krupeckaite, bronze for Pendleton

NEWS AND FEATURES

Track worlds day one: steady start for team GB

Why there's no Brit in the individual pursuit

No individual pursuit for Britain at track worlds

No room for complacency in British Cycling: Iain Dyer interviewCavendish in the frame for Scratch race world title bid

2009 Track Cycling World Championships preview

Crampton set to fill Sir Chris Hoy's team sprint spot

2009 World Track Champs GB squad named

Hoy to miss world track champs

Track World Championships: British medal winners

CW's Dummies' Guide to Track Racing

PHOTOS

Day two: Track Worlds 2009

Day one: Track Worlds 2009

GB RIDER PROFILES

Men

Jonathan Bellis

Steven Burke

Mark Cavendish

Ed Clancy

Matt Crampton

David Daniell

Ross Edgar

Jason Kenny

Chris Newton

Jamie Staff

Women

Lizzie Armitstead

Wendy Houvenaghel

Victoria Pendleton

Shanaze Reade

Joanna Rowsell

Jessica Varnish

RECENT RESULTS

International track results last season: 2007-2008

International track results this season: 2008-2009

2008 TRACK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS LINKS

Full results from the 2008 track worlds

Report: Sunday, day five>>

Report: Saturday, day four>>

Report: Friday, day three>>

Report: Thursday, day two>>

Report: Wednesday, day one>>

EXTERNAL LINKS

Track Cycling World Championships 2009 official website

Union Cycliste Internationale