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Speedway: Gollob is the hero as Poland win World Cup
POLAND 44 AUSTRALIA 43 SWEDEN 36 RUSSIA 35
POLAND 44 AUSTRALIA 43 SWEDEN 36 RUSSIA 35(Speedway World Cup Final)
TOMASZ Gollob made sure Poland were crowned world champions by winning a crucial last heat clash of the titans.
The Polish legend went from zero to hero when powering away from Australian captain Leigh Adams as the World Cup Final boiled down to four laps in Leszno yesterday.
The meeting had been postponed on Saturday night due to torrential rain, but it was well worth the wait until Sunday morning for the host nation.
The Poles and Aussies went into the finale deadlocked on 41 points, but Gollob (who had finished last in his previous two outings) made no mistake from the inside gate to zoom to victory aboard a bike borrowed from team-mate Krzysztof Kasprzak.
The men from Down Under had been in pole position for the majority of the meeting and were five points to the good when more heavy rain forced a long delay during heat 20 (the heavens opened just as Russian rider Denis Gizatullin was hitting the deck).
They were unhappy that racing resumed and couldn't hold onto their advantage as the Poles, led by star man Jarek Hampel, homed in.
The 18-point ace levelled the overall scores by speeding to victory in the penultimate heat with Aussie Troy Batchelor relegated to the rear.
Then Gollob took centre stage to hand Poland a third World Cup crown in the past five years - they also won at this venue in 2007.
Meanwhile Panthers legend Ryan Sullivan has scoffed at claims made by Australian team boss Craig Boyce that he did not turn up for practice ahead of Thursday's race-off when his place went to Adam Shields whose injury saw Batchelor drafted in for the final.
Speaking on his website, Sullivan claimed his old Panthers team-mate Jason Crump wanted him removed from the Aussie side.
Sullivan said: "Boycey told me Crump wanted me off the team because my face didn't fit, so I agreed to stay home to keep the team happy."
PANTHERS asset Piotr Swiderski has joined Lakeside.
The Pole – a member of the city club's 2006 Elite League title triumph – has been drafted in by the Hammers to replace broken collarbone victim Adam Shields.
Swiderski was axed by Ipswich at the end of last month.
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