Andrew Alderson: Ellesse Andrews claims second gold in individual sprint in Paris

By Kris Shannon in Paris

Ellesse Andrews has confirmed what this week already seemed clear – she is the world’s fastest woman on two wheels.

The Kiwi claimed a second gold medal on the final day of the Paris Olympics, her victory in the individual sprint even more commanding than an earlier triumph in the keirin.

Andrews won all nine sprint races she contested inside Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome. The 24-year-old eliminated the reigning Olympic champion, two former world champions and a rider who last year proved superior in the discipline.

And Andrews accomplished it all with a level of ease rarely seen at the top level.

That’s not to suggest there was anything simple about her achievements. But right now, Andrews is simply too fast, too strong and too self-assured to be beaten.

That was the case in the keirin final earlier in the week, when Andrews led from start to finish and was never seriously threatened by any potential attack. The same was true in the individual sprint, whether riding from the front or recovering a deficit depending on her starting position.

The two gold medals added to a silver won in the team sprint and left Andrews in elite Kiwi company. Only paddlers Lisa Carrington (three golds in 2021 and 2024) and Paul MacDonald (three golds in 1984) have recorded better medal hauls at a single Games.

It also meant New Zealand would finish the Paris Olympics with 10 gold medals, after a record-setting penultimate day saw the team surpass the previous best of eight.

With age on her side and considering her progression in the last 12 months alone, it’s safe to assume Andrews will return to the podium in four years’ time.

In today’s final she swept aside Lea Friedrich, a rider who beat Andrews 2-0 in the sprint semifinals at last year’s world championships.

Following the keirin final, coach and father Jon Andrews said he had expected a greater challenge from Friedrich in that event, after the German had been eliminated in a semifinal won by the Kiwi. It came a few days later but didn’t last for long.

Gold medalist Ellesse Andrews celebrates her win in the sprint. Photo / Getty Images 

There was a brief moment in race one when it appeared Friedrich held the advantage. After the bell, she came around the bend high, and with a boost from the bank looked to be erasing the lead.

Then Andrews rose from her seat, powered through the back straight and the race was over.

The second was barely a contest. Starting behind her opponent, Andrews easily executed the manoeuvre attempted earlier by Friedrich, speeding clear as the German conceded defeat.

Andrews glanced once over her shoulder, saw clear track and was able to raise one arm in celebration, the crowd rising to salute a new queen of the velodrome.

Friedrich had set a new world record in qualifying, a mark Andrews previously lowered. But her coach said his rider was a different proposition when racing, and so it proved

Andrews progressed to the final with seven wins from seven, eliminating Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell in the 1/8 finals before sweeping former world champions Emma Hinze in the quarters and Emma Finucane in the semis.

That brought more revenge for being beaten by Finucane and Britain in the team sprint final, the only time in Paris that Andrews has been conquered.

Friedrich, meanwhile, needed a third ride to reach the final, as Andrews barely watched from her stationary bike. But no extra energy would have helped the German.

Andrews, as she has been all week, was unbeatable.

Kris Shannon has been a sport journalist since 2011 and covers a v

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Andrew Ordison, he's here for sport. Good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
You think it nice to be nice to be with
you role with that question, that's just roll that grenade
rolled in my direction.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
I mean my theory is that and what do I know,
But we're more progressive as a country when it comes
to women's involvement in sports, and potentially I like that theory.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yeah, I think there's maridown that hasn't always been the way.
Plus I think there's more. Well, it's a fact that
there's definite balance now can cross the competition. So women
are getting, you know, fifty percent of the positions to
even test in these events. So once upon a time
they are quite skewed in favor of men some of
the like the fragmants late the rowing or kayaking even

(00:42):
and those sorts of things. And that has now gone
back rightfully so so that you do have genuine equality
rather than just paying lip service to it. So that's
that's a good thing. And I think, yeah, I'm reluctant
to sort of weigh in on the you know, or
the women are better than men are better whatever argument,
because I think some of those athletes it just could
be celebrated the middle of the Olympic Games. That takes

(01:03):
a hell of an achievement to do that, and yeah,
it's it's a probably testament to the system and hopefully,
I mean just in the wider context of the Games
now for New Zealand, hopefully we're addressing the well being
element versus the performance and we're still coming up with
the medal, so hopefully that will continue, you know, in
the wake of you know what was some pretty devastating
scenes with the post Tokyo.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Absolutely and sticking with with cycling some fantastic yes results.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
That's that's the key sport, isn't it really with if
you're talking about the you know, the devastation with Olivia
Podmore posts Tokyo, and it just seemed to me, I'm
just just engauge here and anecdotally that they seem to
speak pretty authentically the cyclist this time. Andrews is a
terrific front person for that. I mean, winning the two
gold and the one silver, but even today we had

(01:52):
Ali Wallaston as well with the bronze to add to
her silver. I just thought they were great and just
it seemed that, yeah, that things may have changed in
their regard, which is an awesome thing in their program.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
I watched the Simone Barles documentary yesterday on Netflix. Have
you seen that?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
No? I haven't, but I've heard of it. Brilliant little
co quoted something out of it on the weekend when
she when she won so.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
And she just talks about that. That's gear change that
they've had to have over there and coaching, where it
was just hard, hard hard work work, work, train train,
train until we break you, whereas now they'll take into account,
you know what you're actually thinking.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
About all for the balance, you know, because just well
in the otherwise you're becoming like a the East German
system of the eighties or the Russian system, et cetera,
where you're expendable and you're yeah, like you say, until
you break and then okay, you're worthless to us. Now, Yeah,
that's that's not that's not sport at the at its
optimum level.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
No, speaking of sport, not at its optimum level.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
They've picked a good weekend to lose.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
I think, yeah, well exactly that they're only losers in town, right,
everyone else's winning gold. But tell me what happened, because
I actually started watching it and I thought, no, this
will win, this and I just went, I did something
else and then we lost.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Well, I didn't see much of either because we were
commentating the Olympic Games, but it's I think, from what
I can gather, the Argentina just gritted it out more
and they've got that incredible forward pack et cetera. And yeah,
just they were better for the tasking Neil Blecks probably
just need to assess where their game plan is at. Yeah, especially,
I mean I think, yeah, it makes makes the Rugby

(03:27):
Championship all the more intriguing against you know, Straighters to
African Cita.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
They true and that actually is They're playing an Auctord
next week coming Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Well, I mean I know they're talking about not that
many tickets were sold for Wellington, but I'll bet they'll
be sold out this weekend. Andrew, looking for the retribution.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
We'll look forward to the game. Thank you very much, Andrew.
Order Some of the Sport For more from News Talks
B listen live on air or online, and

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcast on iHeartRadio.