New Zealand cyclist Ellesse Andrews secured her third medal at the Paris Olympics, winning gold in the women’s sprint cycling event, which she had considered her “work-on” discipline.
The win marks her second gold medal of the Games and New Zealand’s 10th overall. Andrews beat Germany’s Lea Friedrich in a closely contested final, winning both races in the best-of-three format.
In addition to her gold in the sprint, Andrews had already earned a gold in the women’s keirin and a silver in the women’s team sprint relay earlier in the Games. Her success in the sprint was unexpected, as it was not her strongest discipline, yet she delivered an outstanding performance, outpacing Friedrich by a mere 0.095 seconds in the first race and overtaking her in the second for the decisive win.
