Previewing the sprint events is going to be more complicated than the endurance side of things but here's my thoughts for what they are worth.
Men's Team Sprint:
Confirmed Quotas:
Contested Quotas:
- 4552.50
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- 4530
- 4507.50
Both Poland and Canada should overtake Czechia in Milton as they are both only counting 1 2024 NC event whereas Czechia has 2 and would need to finish higher than 7th in order to increase their score.
The final quota should therefore come down to a straight shoot-out between Poland and Canada. Whoever finishes higher in the event in Milton will take the quota.
In the head-to-heads during the qualifying window, Poland have outperformed Canada in 3 out of the 4 times they have both competed, but the teams are generally well matched. At last year's Milton Nations Cup event, Canada got their best result when finishing 4th. Given the strength of the line-ups we have in Milton this year, it is unlikely they will replicate that, but it is still possible that the home crowd advantage could propel them to a strong finish.
Personally, I am not sure how this one is going to play out but if I have to pick a side, I'd say that Poland likely has the edge.
Individual Sprint / Keirin:
2 Individual Quotas Confirmed Through Team Sprint: (16)
Individual Quotas - Sprint: (5)
Continental Quota: (1)
Contested Quotas - Sprint:
- 2697
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- 2438.50
I've been asked previously whether I think there is a chance for to get an individual quota if they miss out on the team sprint and I have said no, but having done a deeper dive on the numbers, I may have changed my mind, and I can see a (narrow) path for them to get the last quota in the individual sprint. Canada are currently about 250 points behind Colombia - but they have a NC event in hand. If they can finish at least 13th in Milton, they would be able to overtake Colombia and move into the final quota spot assuming that Colombia don't add to their points total. If Colombia finish higher than 13th, then Canada will need to ensure that they finish above them in order to be able to secure the quota. Given the field, it will be tough and a lot will depend on where everyone finishes in the qualifying run.
Individual Quotas - Keirin: (7)
The Keirin field looks pretty set - Thailand has gap of about 330 points over and I don't see that closing in Milton.
In addition to this, we may also see some quota reallocations in the sprint events as I don't think Israel and Suriname will be able to field 2 riders. I'm not sure how the logistics of that will play out. We could see and in the mix to receive reallocated quotas.