Mexico’s Daniela Gaxiola qualified this Thursday for the final of the women’s keirin track cycling event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she finished sixth and won an Olympic diploma.
Gaxiola was the only Latin American cyclist who arrived with options in the final event, the Mexican is positioned as one of the best six athletes in this discipline.
“We knew that anything could happen, I wanted to be on the podium, but we will have to wait. That was what the body and mind could give today,” Daniela told AFP.
Daniela’s activity does not end with this final, as she has one more qualifying test on Friday, August 9. “Tomorrow, if I have the strength to do it. I hope to make a very good time, to be able to place well and advance round after round, because the level is very high, but we as Mexicans show that we are at the height of the world level,” said the athlete.
Gaxiola went through rounds throughout Thursday afternoon at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome, in the outskirts of Paris. The Mexican was up against the five best-qualified riders in the world and came out of the fourth lane. The track cycling event started slowly and consisted of five laps along the track.
During the first round he was positioned in fifth place and in the second round he advanced to first place, but fell behind in the last opportunities and finished in sixth place. Both rounds were held on August 8.
The gold medal went to New Zealand’s Ellese Andrews, reigning world champion in the specialty. Silver went to Hetty Van De Wouw of the Netherlands and bronze to Emma Finucane of Great Britain.