Points Race, Women

This race consisted of 17 starters competing in a finals-only race of 25 kilometers. There were 10 sprints held, one every 10 laps. The 1996 pursuit gold medalist, Antonella Bellutti (ITA), placed second in the first three sprints, and then trailed Russia’s Olga Slyusareva, who won the first and three sprints and had 10 points.The fourth and fifth sprints were won Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel, the dominant female cyclist in Sydney, who would eventually win four medals and three gold medals at the 2000 Olympics. Bellutti continued to earn points in the seventh and ninth sprints, and led on the last lap with 17 points. Slyusareva was second with 15, followed by Judith Arndt (GER) and Belem Guerrero (MEX) with 12. Entering the final sprint, Zijlaard-van Moorsel still had only 10 points. The final sprint was won by Spain’s Teodora “Dori” Ruano, whose 10 points were her first of the race. Zijlaard-van Moorsel trailed in second, with the six points moving her up to the silver medal. Bellutti earned two points on the final lap to secure the gold medal with 19 points. All 17 riders finished on the same lap. Afraid to fall, Van Moorsel was at the back of the pack for most of the race, which impacted her ability to respond to outbreaks and attacks. Van Moorsel herself was quite happy with the medal, not having done any specific training for the event.