ARRUE'S TWO MEDALS ARE HISTORIC; LOCAL SPRINT CYCLIST WINS ANOTHER SILVER.Byline: Tina Fischer Forde Special to the Daily News Sprint cyclist Marcelo Arrue began his racing career under Chile's flag. Late last week the Woodland Hills man became the second athlete in history to win Pan American medals for both the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and another country. Arrue won a silver medal Friday for the U.S. in the match sprint and followed with a gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize Saturday as he anchored the three-man Olympic sprint The Team Sprint (also sometimes known as the Olympic Sprint) is a track cycling event. Despite its name it is not a conventional cycling sprint event - it is a three-man team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome. event at the Red River Exhibition The Red River Exhibition (or the Ex for short) is a mobile amusement fair hosted every summer, usually in late June, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, at the Assiniboia Downs race tracks. Park velodrome ve·lo·drome n. A sports arena with a banked oval track for bicycle and motorcycle racing. [French vélodrome, blend of vélocipède, velocipede; see velocipede, and . Arrue, 30, was born in Santiago, Chile Santiago, officially Santiago de Chile (Spanish: (helpinfo)), is the capital of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation (Greater Santiago). , but reared in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . He graduated from Grant High in 1987 and attended Valley College. His father, Willie, who lives in Granada Hills, was 10-time sprint champion for Chile. Arrue qualified for the 1996 Olympics as a Chilean national, but, in order to ride in the next Olympics for this country, he publicly renounced his citizenship and declined to compete in Atlanta. He gained his U.S. citizenship that year. As a newly minted American, Arrue immediately won first place in the Keirin at the World Cup in Germany. Except for the flag on his uniform, Arrue's silver-medal performance was a replay of the race at Mar del Plata Mar del Plata (mär thĕl plä`tä), city (1991 pop. 519,707), E central Argentina, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the most popular seaside resorts in South America. Fishing and fish processing are also important industries. , Argentina, four years ago - American Marty Nothstein Martin ("Marty") Wayne Nothstein (born February 10, 1971 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American professional road bicycle racer and track cyclist. He is a 3-time world champion in track events and an Olympic gold and silver medalist. of Trexlertown, Pa., beat him there, too. ``This is a major championship and I was really looking forward to beating him here,'' Arrue said after Friday's race. ``In the United States, nine of 10 times it's me and him in the final. We've been the top for two years now.'' Is anyone breathing down his neck? ``I hope not,'' Arrue said. ``I've been training pretty hard and that's the level you have to stay at to make sure no one is coming up behind you.'' Arrue competes in the match sprint, the Keirin and the three-man Olympic sprint. His teammates on the gold-medal Olympic Sprint squad that beat the Cubans in Winnipeg Saturday were Nothstein and 22-year-old John Barios of Redlands. Willie Arrue credits Marcelo's sprint-event coaches for his son's great progress. ``Thanks to Andrzej Bek and Gibby (Gilbert) Hatton, two coaches, the best in the world,'' said Willie Arrue. ``That's why. They are professional, 24 hours a day. They are sleeping with the bike under the bed.'' Bek turned the sentiment around. ``It's because of his great commitment (that he's doing so well),'' said Bek, the U.S. national sprint events coach. ``I believe it's his best year. He's riding his fastest ever. ``This year he was much more focused. His training during the winter is much more consistent.'' The small (10 to 12 people) U.S. sprint team travels much of the year, moving from camp to camp. This year they have had seven camps, training at the Olympic training center at Chula Vista Chula Vista (ch  `lə), city (1990 pop. 135,163), San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1911. , at Frisco, Texas, and at Blaine, Minn. Arrue trains on his own around the San Fernando Valley and at the Olympic Velodrome at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Arrue, looking back over this year's accomplishments, is happy. He has placed well in three World Cup races and he continues to improve. ``It's looking good,'' he said. ``And I wasn't as fast (for the World Cups) as I am right now. I am looking forward to the World Championships in October in Berlin. When the whole year is said and done, Worlds is what counts. The best guys in the world are going to be there. ``We're really going to have to put the wood down.'' |
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