Canadian Cyclist Kelsey Mitchell Wins Olympic Women's Sprint Gold

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Women's Sprint - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 8, 2021. Kelsey Mitchell of Canada celebrates with a Canadian national flag after winning gold. REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Women's Sprint - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 8, 2021. Kelsey Mitchell of Canada celebrates with a Canadian national flag after winning gold. REUTERS/Matthew Childs
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Canadian Cyclist Kelsey Mitchell Wins Olympic Women's Sprint Gold

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Women's Sprint - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 8, 2021. Kelsey Mitchell of Canada celebrates with a Canadian national flag after winning gold. REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Women's Sprint - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 8, 2021. Kelsey Mitchell of Canada celebrates with a Canadian national flag after winning gold. REUTERS/Matthew Childs

Canada's Kelsey Mitchell won gold in the women's sprint on the final day of the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, just four years after taking up the sport.

Mitchell won the first two races in a best-of-three final against Olena Starikova of Ukraine to clinch Canada's first gold medal at the Izu Velodrome.

Hong Kong's Lee Wai-sze took bronze.

It is only Canada’s second Olympic gold medal ever in track cycling and the first since Lori-Ann Muenzer won the same event at Athens 2004.

Mitchell clenched her fists as she performed her victory lap while the Canadian coaches nearby hugged and celebrated the 27-year-old’s remarkable triumph.

She only took up track cycling after attending a Canadian training event in August 2017 and was quickly recruited by Cycling Canada.

Her victory never looked in doubt against Starikova while the favorite for gold, Emma Hinze of Germany, was beaten by Lee in the battle for bronze.



Ancelotti: Mission Accomplished as Real Madrid Reach Cup Final

Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 1, 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)
Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 1, 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)
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Ancelotti: Mission Accomplished as Real Madrid Reach Cup Final

Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 1, 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)
Real Madrid's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) semi-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 1, 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)

It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through to the Copa del Rey final.
Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by his side and praised his players' effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.
"We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it," Ancelotti told a press conference.
"It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.
"I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side."
According to Reuters, Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it "bad luck" by the Austrian defender, but urged his defense to play with better focus moving forward.
"It's not good to concede four goals in a game," Ancelotti said.
"Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.
"However, we can't ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well."
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.
Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday's second-leg in Madrid.