Overview
- Hetty van de Wouw, Kim Kalee and Steffie van der Peet secured gold on the opening day in Santiago, defeating Great Britain in the final.
- The result completes a progression from frequent fourth places, including at the Paris Olympics, to last year’s world silver in Ballerup and February’s European title in Zolder.
- Kalee replaced Kyra Lamberink as the starter and said she has trained with van de Wouw and van der Peet for about a year, building a close bond.
- Van der Peet said her ride felt technically below par and expressed disbelief at the victory, while van de Wouw called it a long-awaited breakthrough.
- Van de Wouw advanced to the sprint semifinals after beating Olympic champion Ellesse Andrews and is also slated for the keirin and the kilometer time trial.