Track Worlds: Relegation sinks Glaetzer's bid for sprint podium

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Australian Matthew Glaetzer’s attempt to add a second consecutive podium result in the men’s sprint at the UCI Track World Championships was cut short Saturday when officials relegated him for irregular riding during his quarterfinal match with New Zealand’s Ethan Mitchell.

Glaetzer, who finished second in the event last year, appeared to be on his way to a third semi final in four years after edging Mitchell with a strong ride in the third-and-deciding heat.

However, officials overturned the result after determining that the Glaetzer made "an irregular movement which prevented Mitchell from passing" inside the final lap of their contest. The ruling meant Mitchell moved through to the semi final.

Glaetzer finished second to Great Britain’s Jason Kenny in 2016 and ahead of Russia’s Denis Dmitriev, who went on to win the 2017 rainbow jersey. He started this year’s bid with the fifth-fastest ride in the qualifying round at 9.815. Glaetzer then cruised into Saturday’s quarter-finals with two strong rides over Colombia’s Santiago Ramirez Morales and Russia’s Pavel Yakushevskiy.

His luck ran out in his match against Mitchell, however. Glaetzer also narrowly missed a podium finish in the kierin, where he finished fourth. He was sixth in the team sprint with Australia during the opening day.

Reigning Australian sprint champion Patrick Constable clocked 9.975 while moving through Friday's qualifying round before defeating Colombia’s Fabian Zapata in the round of 1/16.

The might of Dmitriev, a four-time sprint medalist at the world championships, was too much for Constable, however, as his campaign ended to the Russian in the round 1/8.