Sullivan becomes triple gold medallist on final night of Pan Am track cycling
On the final night of track cycling, Monique Sullivan became a triple gold medallist at Toronto 2015 Pan American Games by winning the women’s sprint over teammate Kate O’Brien.
The pair had won women’s team sprint gold for Canada on the opening night of track cycling. Then Sullivan took the women’s Pan Am keirin title on Friday before edging out her teammate for individual sprint gold on Sunday in Milton, Ontario.
Monique Sullivan
O’Brien leaves TO2015 with a gold and silver. Sullivan joins gymnast Ellie Black as the second triple gold medallist for Team Canada at its home Pan Am Games in Toronto.
“It’s amazing for the team,” earlier in the day Sullivan said of the success Canada has enjoyed over the four days in Milton. “We’ve been working so hard for quite a few years now and it’s sort of starting to build.”
“The whole team has been working really hard for this. We know that we’ve put the work into it to be here, and so to have this opportunity to come here and show it and do it in front of Canada is just amazing. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going forward.”
Monique Sullivan sprints ahead of Kate O’Brien at Pan Am Games on July 19, 2015.
Canada had a chance at a second triple gold medallist in track cycling on Sunday night, where Hugo Barrette attempted to win the men’s keirin to match his individual and team sprint titles at TO2015.
What looked to be a slight miscalculation by Barrette – getting caught behind weaker riders – combined with some very strong sprinting from Fabian Puerto Zapata pushed Barrette to a bronze medal position as he charged from the outside to catch the leaders.
More TO2015 Track Cycling
Jasmin Glaesser (in red) of Canada finished second to Sarah Hammer of USA in the women’s omnium on July 19, 2015.
Sullivan’s was the sixth gold for Canada in 10 finals at the Milton Velodrome, the new home of Canadian track cycling, where the team medalled in nine events. Prior to Sullivan’s win, the men’s team pursuit squad from Canada won a bronze medal beating Venezuela.
The last event of the evening involving a Canadian saw Jasmin Glaesser, part of the gold medal-winning women’s team pursuit riders, improve on a third place position after five races in the omnium to take silver behind U.S. World Champion and two-time Olympic medallist Sarah Hammer.
All told Canada won five medals on Sunday in Milton, bringing its four day track cycling total to six gold and two each of silver and bronze. The home team medalled in nine of the 10 events at TO2015.
The six gold medals from the Milton Velodrome at TO2015:
