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Michael Blatchford

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Michael Blatchford
Personal information
Full nameMichael Benjamin Blatchford
Born (1986-01-29) January 29, 1986 (age 38)
Cypress, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight181 lb (82 kg)
Team information
DisciplineTrack
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Professional teams
2008Cody Racing
2011–2012Project London 2012
Medal record
Men's track cycling
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2011 Guadalajara Team sprint
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Valencia Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2012 Mar del Plata Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2007 Valencia Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2011 Medellin Team sprint
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Mar del Plata Sprint
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Mar del Plata Team sprint
Bronze medal – third place 2006 São Paulo Team sprint

Michael Benjamin Blatchford (born January 29, 1986, in Cypress, California) is an American professional track cyclist.[1] Considered one of the youngest and most dynamic American sprinters on the present-day track circuit, Blatchford has held two Pan American and four U.S. national championship titles in his career resume since he scored his first triumph as an eighteen-year-old junior in 2004. He also represented the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics and eventually led off the Americans for the silver medal in men's team sprint at the 2011 Pan American Games. Blatchford currently races for Project London 2012 pro cycling team, and works as a resident athlete for the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[2]

Racing career

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Growing up in Cypress, California, where he was home-schooled through high school, Blatchford started his cycling career at age thirteen, when he first discovered the now-defunct Olympic Velodrome that hosted the track cycling tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics.[3] Blatchford's visit and fascination had thereby inspired him to become a track sprinter, and eventually claimed the silver medal at the 2004 UCI Junior World Championships in Los Angeles.[4] On that same year, he outclassed Giddeon Massie and Christian Stahl for an elite U.S. national title in men's sprint that officially marked his debut as a force to be reckoned with on the domestic and international track cycling scene.

Shortly after his early success, Blatchford became one of the resident athletes of the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His sporting career continued to flourish with a bronze medal in men's sprint at the 2006 UCI World Cup series in Los Angeles, followed by an impressive, gold medal effort for the U.S. cycling team at the 2007 Pan American Road and Track Championships in Valencia, Venezuela.[5][6]

With an aim on the team sprint event for the Olympics in 2008, Blatchford teamed up with Olympians Massie and Adam Duvendeck to set a new U.S. record of 45.128 seconds at the UCI World Championships in Manchester, England.[7]

Following a stunning performance from the World Championships, Blatchford qualified for two track cycling events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing by recording the fastest entry time, and earning an automatic berth from the USA Cycling Team's Selection Camp.[8][9] In the men's team sprint, held on the first day of the track program, Blatchford helped his teammates Massie and Duvendeck set an eighth-place time in 45.346 (an average speed of 59.542 km/h) on the morning prelims before they were knocked off by the Brits (led by Olympic legend Chris Hoy) in the first round.[10][11] Two days later, in the men's sprint, Blatchford lost his round-of-sixteen match-up against France's Kévin Sireau, and finished second in his repechage heat behind Japan's Kazunari Watanabe, thus eliminating him from the tournament. Earlier in the morning session, Blatchford grabbed a fifteenth seed with a time of 10.470.[11][12][13]

In 2009, Blatchford immediately took up a two-year sabbatical from the sport, when the U.S. cycling team disbanded the sprint program in track cycling.[14] By early 2011, he came out of an early retirement to join with four other riders for Project London 2012, an elite track cycling team, inspired and created by Rubicon Cycling LCC, that fosters the youth to become champion professional athletes, fulfilling their dream to represent the United States at the Olympic Games.[15]

Returning from two years off the sport, Blatchford managed to reclaim the men's sprint titles (both individual and team) at the 2011 U.S. Track Cycling Championships, and further continued his stellar ride as part of the team that registered an American record of 44.036 and earned a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.[16] Having been chosen by USA Cycling to be eligible for team selection, Blatchford sought his official bid to compete for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but he was shortlisted.[17][18]

Career highlights

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2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2011

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Michael Blatchford". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "USA Cycling announces 2012 Track World Championships roster". Daily Peloton. March 19, 2013. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  3. ^ "Michael Blatchford: "Nothing to Lose"". The Good News Plus. October 17, 2010. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  4. ^ Scrymgeour, Kristy (August 1, 2004). "Second gold for Perkins". Cycling News. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  5. ^ "LA Track World Cup 2006 – Day 2 Evening Session". Canadian Cycling Magazine. August 1, 2004. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  6. ^ "Blatchford, madison team win Pan Am gold, team sprint wins silver". USA Cycling. May 24, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  7. ^ "Phinney records fastest pursuit yet in 8th-place finish at World's". USA Cycling. March 26, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  8. ^ "Phinney clocks world record, Lea, Blatchford look ahead to Beijing". USA Cycling. June 16, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  9. ^ "USA Cycling adds Lea, Blatchford to Olympic roster". USA Today. June 17, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  10. ^ "Men's Team Sprint First Round". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Reed advances to quarterfinals of women's match sprint". USA Cycling. August 17, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  12. ^ "Men's Sprint Repechage Round 1". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  13. ^ "Reed advances into Monday's quarters". NBC Olympics. August 17, 2008. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  14. ^ "Revival on the Velodrome". Team USA. October 17, 2011. Archived from the original on October 27, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  15. ^ "Project London 2012 Launch". Daily Peloton. March 16, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  16. ^ "Two medals for U.S. track cyclists at Pan American Games". USA Cycling. October 20, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  17. ^ "USA Cycling reveals eligible athletes". ESPN. December 15, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  18. ^ "USA Cycling announces pool of track riders for 2012 Olympics". Cycling News. January 6, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
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