Sarah Lee’s unbeaten record in women’s sprint ends as rising German star takes gold at cycling track World Championships
- Lee loses both races in best-of-three semi-final to Emma Hinze before capturing bronze by beating Kelsey Mitchell, of Canada
- Hong Kong star rider still has to defend her keirin world title against the same group of riders as the sprint
Sarah Lee Wai-sze’s two-year, unbeaten record in the women’s sprint ended after the Hong Kong star rider finished third in the track World Championships in Berlin.
Ever since the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games qualification cycle began in October 2018, Lee had never lost a race in the sprinting event, including victory at the 2019 World Championships in Poland that marked her a favourite to defend her title at the Berlin Velodrome.
But upcoming German starlet Emma Hinze upstaged the veteran Hong Kong rider when the duo met in the semi-finals. The 22-year-old home favourite, having lost to Lee in their previous two clashes at the World Cup series finals in Glasgow and Hong Kong last year, finally got her way.
Hinze, who had already won the team sprint with partner Pauline Grabosch on the opening day and recorded the fastest time in the 200-metre flying start qualifiers, sent Lee out in the race with two wins in the best-of-three tie.
Grabosch was the last sprinter who defeated Lee when they met in the 2018 World Championships bronze medal play-off.
