Promising Cheung King-lok continued his fine form in the Track Cycling World Championships despite failing to win a medal in the men's points race in Cali, Colombia.
In a day when Sarah Lee Wai-sze was ousted in the quarter-finals of the women's sprint, Cheung was fifth in a strong 20-rider field at the Alcides Nieto Patino velodrome, earning high praise from coach Shen Jinkang.
The 23-year-old, who collected a bronze medal in the scratch race the day before, finished the 40-kilometre, 160-lap race with 41 points, including 20 points from lapping the peloton once. He also took 15 points in three sprints when he was the first rider to cross the line in laps 70, 80 and 90.
Edwin Avila Vanegas, of Colombia, had 71 points to win the title, including 60 points from lapping the peloton three times, followed by Thomas Scully, of New Zealand, who had 66. Third place went to Eloy Teruel Rovira, of Spain, with 58.
"[Cheung] was very brave to attack after the halfway mark and broke away on his own without assistance from any other riders," said Shen. "It was very tough because of all the quality opponents, but he followed his game plan very well.
"He failed to win any medal because by the time he attacked, there were already seven riders who had collected points through lapping the peloton, making it very difficult for Cheung. But overall his performance was impressive."
