Australian loses temperand world sprint title

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32702, 3 September 1971, Page 25

Australian loses temper—and world sprint title

(N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) VARESE (Italy). G. Johnson (Australia) lost his temper and his world professional sprint title in an inci-dent-marred event on the closing day of the world track cycling championships, reports the Associated Press.

He finished fourth in the world sprint event and left the track among the jeers of irate Italian fans after he lost in controversial runs for third place against the local idol, G. Turrini. The gold medal for the professional sprint went to L. Loeveseijn (Netherlands). In the first run, Johnson, forced to an uneasy start by a decision of the judges which made him nervous, exchanged insults and gestures with the public and lost the race amid boos and whistles. In the second heat, Turrini suffered a tremendous spill on the last bend while fighting elbow to elbow with the Australian.

The accident allegedly was caused by an incorrect action

of Johnson. The jury disqualified him.

Turrini did not suffer serious harm but his spill sparked the fans against Johnson. He reached the dressing rooms under a barrage of insults, ducking to avoid flying objects hurled at him from the stands. :

Johnson said' he was not aware of Turrinji’s fall. Some Australian team-mates said that Johnson was not to blame for the collison. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union riders raced well to win three gold and two silver medals.

T. Garkochina dominated the women’s pursuit, and another Soviet girl, G. Careva, the women’s spnnt. They had won the same titles last year at Leicester, Britain. The third Soviet gold medal was won, by E. Rapp in the 1000 metres, in which he beat the top-ranked P. Pedersen (Denmark), who finished second, and the veteran P. Trentin (France), third.

The only country to keep up to the pace of the Russians was Belgium, with two gold medals—ohe in the professional motor-paced race by T. Verschurtn, and the second won by'D. Baert in the men’s professional pursuit. The 22-year-old Baert won against the former champion, H. Porter (Britain), the world one-hour record-holder, O. Ritter (Denmark), and the French veteran, C. Grosskost. A big surprise was the gold medal of M. Rodriguez (Colombia) in the amateur pursuit. He gave Latin America its firsl title in a world cycling championship. AMATEUR SPRINT In the men’s amateur sprint, D. Morelbn (France), a long-time ruler in this event, confirmed himself the leading competitqr with another gold medal.

Italy won its only gold medal in the amateur teams’ pursuit. West Germany won it in the amateur motorpaced event, with H. Gnas, while the East Germans took a title in the tandem. The tandem race was the most controversial of the championships—the gold changed hands three times.

The East German duo of J. Geschke and W. Otto was first declared the winner and then lost by disqualification to the West German pair, J. Barth and R. Muller.

An appeal jury later definitely awarded the title to the East Germans. The rivals termed this decision “a theft.”

The championships will now move to Switzerland, where the open road events are due to start today.