Southland medals at Oceania track cycling champs

Apr 2

Apr 2 Southland medals at Oceania track cycling champs

New Zealand’s elite track riders made an impressive winning and record-setting start to the Oceania Championships, with four emphatic elite victories on the opening day at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane.

Olympic medallist Ellesse Andrews became the first New Zealand rider in two decades to claim the Oceania women’s sprint title, while Bryony Botha continued her remarkable record-setting spree in winning the 3000m individual pursuit. The programme wound up with a crushing performance from Aaron Gate in the 40km points race, while earlier Ally Wollaston scored an impressive win in the scratch race.

Andrews clocked 10.737s to top qualifiers in the sprint competition, just 0.16s outside the national record she set at the Olympics. She went on to dominate the match-racing component, beating Australian Kristina Clonan in two straight rides in the final, after disposing of teammate Olivia King by the same margin in the semifinal.

King, in her first elite international competition, finished fourth after being edged by Australian Breanna Hargrave 2-1 in the battle for bronze.

“I am happy to come here and put my race-head on and race the international girls again,” said Andrews. “It was good learning to harness that aggression again. It is really important especially in a sprint competition, to be confident, sure of yourself and that when you commit, you are fully 100 percent committed into the sprint.”

Botha continued her remarkable record-run in the 3000m individual pursuit, edging her own national record set at the recent New Zealand Championships to a new mark of 3:19.634, which is also a new Oceania record. She is the third fastest female in the world after current world record-holder Chloe Dygert (USA) and 2021 world champion Lisa Brennauer (GER).

“I wanted to do a personal best tonight and so I am happy to be able to do that, and to get an Oceania record as well is awesome,” said Botha.

“The keys for me were getting really, really fit on the road in the off-season, and a combination of doing some pursuit-specific training and getting use to riding a bigger gear.”

Botha said she hopes to compete in the individual pursuit at the upcoming Milton Nations Cup in Canada, and if selected, the individual pursuit at the Commonwealth Games and the world championships.

Gate made a sensational return to the track, after arriving back from Europe where he has been based since the Olympics, having initially flown there for surgery on his shoulder after his crash during the team pursuit.

The 31-year-old produced a complete master class in the 160-lap race, which offers sprint points every 10 laps. Working with his kiwi teammates, Gate lapped the field four times before halfway, going on to put six laps on the field for 120 bonus points as well as pick up 40 sprint points. He finished with an astonishing 160 points in a New Zealand blackout of the podium with Tom Sexton second on 96, and George Jackson third on 69.

“I went in unknown. I’ve not touched a track bike in quite a while. The game-plan was not to do too much for the first 40 laps, but the legs got a bit itchy and before I knew it I had taken a lap,” said Gate.

“I decided to keep the momentum going and had support from the kiwi boys with good legs coming off the nationals last week.

“I had a three-month road training block, although I had the plate in my shoulder taken out and didn’t touch the bike in December.”

Cambridge rider Ally Wollaston, the national criterium champion, bided her time to use her telling-sprint to good effect to claim the sprint race win ahead of Australia’s Chloe Moran with teammate Ella Wyllie and Rylee McMullen third and fourth respectively

Earlier Jackson, with his long mullet flowing behind, rode with speed and smarts to finish second in the elimination race.

After some strong efforts from Sam Dakin and Sam Webster, finishing first and third respectively in the keirin semifinal, it was Australian Matthew Glaetzer who claimed the final with the kiwi pair unable to challenge.

In junior racing, the highlight came late in the night with Lewis Johnston and Edward Pawson riding impressively to finish first and second respectively in the points race. Johnston, who put two laps on the field, finished on 61 points, and Pawson 40 points, also lapped the field.

Southland’s Ronan Shearing finished second in the final of the keirin with Bee Townsend second in the 30-lap scratch race, while in Para-cycling action, New Zealand’s Devin Briggs (MC4) won his category in the 15km scratch race, with Ben Westenberg and Southland’s Connor Douglas second and third respectively in MC5.

Day two action includes sprint, individual pursuit and scratch race for elite men, while elite women contest the keirin and points.

All cycling disciplines are competing in the Oceania Championships in or around Brisbane, with the mountain bike completed last week, and BMX and road racing to be staged next weekend.