'My saddle snapped' – Great Britain settle for silver after bike issue in team sprint final at Track World Championships

Great Britain’s women’s team sprint team secured silver at the UCI Track World Championships on Wednesday, but felt they could have achieved more after Sophie Capewell’s saddle broke during the final. The team, comprising Rhianna Parris-Smith and Emma Finucane, led China after the first lap before Capewell’s lap saw her fall behind, missing gold by less than four tenths of a second.

Capewell explained, “It was a disappointing final. It wasn’t our best ride. My saddle snapped halfway through my lap, so as you can imagine it was quite difficult staying up and finishing off my turn.” Despite the mishap, she praised her opponents, stating they “came out swinging” inside their home velodrome in Shanghai. Capewell, who won Olympic gold in the event with Finucane in 2024, acknowledged the team’s growth as “a fairly new team” and expressed pride in securing a silver, saying it leaves them hungry for more success.

Germany took bronze, rounding out the podium. In the men’s team sprint, Olympic champions the Netherlands – consisting of Roy van den Berg, Harrie Lavreysen, and Jeffrey Hoogland – claimed their eighth consecutive title with a time of 41.954 seconds. Australia won silver, having led the first two laps before Hoogland overtook in the final lap.

China, third, sealed the bronze. The British men’s team sprint trio, who were silver medallists last year, placed sixth without Matthew Richardson, who was withdrawn from the squad due to misconduct allegations. The men’s team pursuit final will feature Great Britain against France, with the British women’s team pursuit squad qualifying first for that event.