Sarah Lee Wai-sze wrapped up her World Cup season up with another excellent performance, clinching the women’s keirin in the final leg of the series in Guadalajara, Mexico.
It was her second gold medal in a World Cup series.
Despite winning a bronze medal in the same event at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Lee had never captured a keirin gold in the World Cup series until this victory, which saw her narrowly beat a field of five other riders.
The first time she won a World Cup gold medal was 15 months ago when she came first in the sprint in Cali, Colombia.
With only 12 riders in two heats, Lee easily won her group to reach the final but had to dig deep for the gold medal in the eight-lap race. With just one lap to go, Sandie Clair of France built up a big margin up front followed by Fatehah Mustapa of Malaysia. The spirited Lee, who paced herself from behind, powered home from the last bend, edging the Malaysian. Claire was third.
The result will also boost the confidence of Lee before the world championships in Cali next month as she tops the World Cup season with 398 points after three legs. She was fourth in Manchester in November and came second in Aguascalientes last month.