This Sunday, August 13, the emotions of the World Bike Crossing Championship were palpitating, in Glasgow, Scotland, and America had an outstanding participation with the Colombians Mariana Pajón and Carlos Ramírez, who finished in fifth and fourth position, respectively.
The challenge was in obtaining a medal in favor of the Colombian delegation, however, the scenario was adverse in that sense, but that does not detract from the large number of Colombians installed in the respective finals.
In the case of Mariana Pajón, the star and flag of Colombian BMX, she finished in fifth place in the test, reaching just over a second in front of Bethany Shriever, the British athlete who defended her champion status. . It was a positive balance for Pajón, who had just faced serious injuries and her objective was to resume great performances in the elite.
After a period marked by injuries, Pajón, 32, reached what has been his 22nd world championship, the 11th in the elite category, and was once again among the best in the world on August 13, 2023, with less than One year until the 2024 Paris Olympics take place.
The local runner and current Olympic champion Bethany Shriever was proclaimed world champion. They were followed on the podium by Laura Smulders (Netherlands), with silver; and Alise Willoughby, from the United States, with bronze.
For their part, Carlos Ramírez Yepes, a two-time bronze medalist at the Olympic Games, and Argentine Nicolás Torres were the only Latinos in the elite men’s final. After an incredible comeback, Ramírez Yepes made him dream of what would have been his first podium in a World Championship, but he was finally fourth in a podium taken by French cyclists.
Romain Mahieu took the gold medal, while his compatriots Arthur Pilard (silver) and Joris Daudet completed the drawer, who repeated the bronze achieved in 2022.
Who could not compete in the final was another Colombian who was among the favorites for the podium: Diego Arboleda. He entered Glasgow 2023 as third in the world ranking, however, he was fifth in the semifinals and was left out of the final. In that semifinal, the Ecuadorian Alfredo Campo also competed, who could not advance to the round.
The Colombian Manuela Martínez Agudelo also stood out in the women’s under-23 final, who was the best at the start, but she lost the option of a medal in the last meters of the track and had to settle for fourth position.
Source: Agencias de Noticias