Plagued by a virus, Canadian Emily Batty wasn't able to earn the Women's Cross Country Under-23 World Championship mountain biking competition Thursday.
Batty, who was fighting for a spot on the podium, took the fifth place in the 21.4-mile race in Mont Ste. Anne, handling its four loops 3:49 behind Swedish winner Alexandra Engen.
"I'm happy," said Batty, of Brooklin, Ont. "I'm just 22 so I'm aiming for the 2016 Olympics. I plan on being in the sport for a long time."
Batty had been on and off antibiotics as she fought a bad cold the last two weeks, and her coach and boyfriend Adam Morka said he was pleased with her performance.
"Emily's something special. If you look behind me right now, all the media is right on Emily. She always comes to the party when it counts," he said.
Organizers GESTEV said they were worried Quebecers wouldn't turn out to take part in the event.
"Last week we were still missing about 150 people to work on the tracks. It's all solved now. We'll have more than 800 volunteers for this event," said Chantal Lachance of GESTEV.
