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Great Britain’s Liam Phillips finished sixth in the elite men’s time trial Superfinal at the UCI BMX World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand.
Phillips recorded a time of 23.146 seconds as American Connor Fields defended the title he won in Birmingham last year, stopping the clock in 22.859 seconds ahead of France’s Joris Daudet and Sylvain Andre.
British Cycling Olympic Academy Programme rider Kyle Evans was 23rd with all of the 67 man field qualifying for Sunday’s racing motos.
Having won silver in 2012, Phillips was the fourth fastest in the first round of qualifying, navigating around the indoor course in the Vector Arena in 23.206 seconds.
France’s Daudet and Australian reigning world champion Sam Willoughby managed quicker times than the 24-year-old Brit before Fields, winner of the time trials at both the Santiago del Estero and Papendal rounds of the UCI BMX Supercross, went fastest in 22.859.
Nineteen-year-old Kyle Evans had earlier set a time of 23.597 in his elite debut at a world championships, an encouraging effort but missing the cut with just the top 16 progressing to the Superfinal.
Phillips, a Beijing and London Olympian, took 50 hundredths of second off his first run of 23.206 in the Superfinal but gradually fell down the rankings with Daudet on the verge of victory before Fields made it back to back rainbow jerseys.
In the women's event, the absence of Shanaze Reade through injury left no British representation as Olympic champion Mariana Pajon of Colombia was crowned champion ahead of American Alise Post and Australian Caroline Buchanan.
Evans tweeted after the event: “Didn't quite go my way, one or two mistakes cost me! Learn from it, move on. Make it happen tomorrow!! I made mistake, mainly on the third straight, cost me time. I was 8th fast overall out 2nd turn. Mistake obviously cost me!”
The competition continues on Sunday with the racing which will crown the world champion.
Results
