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Tuesday, September 19
Hartwell won't get a third straight medal
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- The medal run is over for Erin
Hartwell, who failed in his bid to become the first American
cyclist to reach the podium at three consecutive Olympics.
Hartwell, of Indianapolis, and teammates Derek Bouchard-Hall of
Palo Alto, Calif., Mariano Friedick of Brentwood, Calif., and Tommy
Mulkey of Athens, Ga., placed 10th out of 12 squads in 4,000-meter
team pursuit Monday (Sunday night EDT).
After winning a bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics and a
silver in Atlanta in the kilometer time trial, a knee injury forced
Hartwell to switch to team pursuit, an endurance race.
Britain set an Olympic record of 4 minutes, 4.030 seconds in
establishing the fastest qualifying time. There won't be another
medal for Hartwell after the United States was timed in 4:12.494.
Afterward, he refused an interview request.
"I've got nothing to say," Hartwell told a team publicist.
During qualifying for the men's match sprint, Marty Nothstein of
Trexlertown, Pa., had the fastest ride over the 200-meter course.
His time of 10.166 seconds narrowly missed the Olympic record of
10.129.
"I really wanted to get that Olympic record, but the job is
done," said Nothstein, a silver medalist at Atlanta. "I wanted to
qualify first or second, and I did that. I'm riding strong right
now, no doubt about it."
Tanya Lindenmuth, also of Trexlertown, Pa., qualified eighth in
women's sprint, riding an 11.649. At 21 the youngest woman ever
named to the U.S. Olympic cycling team, she said she expected to do
better when the event continued Monday night.
"I'm a much better competitor than a time trial rider,"
Lindenmuth said.
In other words, Lindenmuth's wits are her strength. The match
sprint mixes strategy and speed, with riders jockeying for position
over two laps before a flat-out sprint on the final lap.
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