 Photo © Guy Swarbrick The Australian Cycling Team grabbed four gold and two silver medals at the third round of the UCI Track World Cup in Berlin, Germany at the weekend.
World record holders Samuel Welsford, Alexander Porter, Leigh Howard and Kelland O'Brien, plus Cameron Scott claimed team pursuit gold, reigning world champion Matthew Glaetzer continued his unbeaten run in the sprint, Stephanie Morton claimed her first individual gold of the season, while Sam Welsford took omnium gold. It continues the team’s strong start to the six-event World Cup series which began in October. The team topped the medal tally in Paris with eight medals including three gold, three silver and two bronze before adding four medals, including two gold at round two in Canada. "This World Cup was another good benchmark for the Australian Cycling Team and shows we are progressing well and currently on track," said Simon Jones, Performance Director, Cycling Australia. "There is still a lot of work to do, but it’s good to score UCI points and be competing well." Recap World record holders Samuel Welsford, Alexander Porter, Leigh Howard and Kelland O'Brien, lined up in the team pursuit for the first time since April’s Commonwealth Games where they stunned the world with the first sub three minute-fifty second ride in the event’s history. In Berlin, the quartet topped qualifying (3:53.426), and with Cameron Scott coming into the team for the first round and progressed to the final with a strong win (3:53.033) over rivals and Olympic champions Great Britain. With Howard returning for Scott for the final, the world’s fastest team held off a challenge from a strong Danish outfit (3:54.703) to take the gold in a superb time of 3 minutes 51.210 seconds. “It was great to line up again with the boys,” said Welsford. “We gel so well and to come back together and post a good time is a good sign we are on the right path.” It was a successful weekend for Welsford who claimed dual gold in Germany with a come-from-behind victory in the final race of the four-race omnium. “The omnium was a bit of a surprise; I haven't raced one at the world level since the World Championships in 2017, so to come away with the win was surreal. It came down to the last points race and luckily enough, I had good legs to take it out.” In the women’s team pursuit, Amy Cure and Annette Edmondson rejoined the squad for the first time since April’s Commonwealth Games, and with Ashlee Ankudinoff and Georgia Baker, won silver. Fastest qualifiers (4:19.073), the quartet moved to the final (4:18.083) by defeating Canada in the first round. In a heartbreaking final, the Australian quartet led for the first fifteen of sixteen laps, before the Great Britain outfit (4:16.153) caught their traditional rivals (4:16.413) inside the last half lap to take the gold. Stephanie Morton topped sprint qualifying with her first career sub 10.5 second ride in the flying 200m (10.484seconds) before riding away to her first individual gold at World Cup level. After knocking out Katy Marchant (GBR) and Daria Shmeleva (RUS), Morton took gold in two straight rides over Anastasiia Voinova (RUS) in the final to complete an undefeated campaign. “After a few silvers, to finally turn it around and get my first sprint win at a World Cup, it is unreal,” said Morton, who collected five medals from six events across the first two rounds of the 2018/19 season in October. “With Matt and me in a heavy training block at the moment, I went into the day relaxed with no pressure on myself and was prepared for a big "shut up legs" kind of day. “So when I looked up and saw the time of 10.4, I was speechless, and anyone who knows me knows that is very rare! “I knew backing up was going to be tough with training in the legs so I took it one race at a time, focusing on the skill or tactic that Ross (Edgar) and I wanted to work on, knowing that crossing the line first would be the bonus.” Reigning world champion Matthew Glaetzer’s unbeaten run in the sprint this World Cup season remains intact with his third gold medal. Third fastest in qualifying (9.659secs), Glaetzer moved through to the quarterfinals with ease where he defeated Denis Dmitriev (RUS), before knocking Rayan Helal (FRA) out in the semi-finals. Glaetzer’s World Cup sprint reign continued as he took gold in two straight rides over Matthijs Buchli (NED) who had edged the Australian for keirin gold the previous night. “Today was one of the hardest sprint competitions I have done,” said Glaetzer, who revealed he is in the middle of a training block. “The semi-final went to the best of three after I didn't execute my race plan properly, but I fixed it for the decider which took a lot out of me. It was at this point that I was wrecked and joked to Ross Edgar that I would try and keep up with Buchli in the final and not get dropped! “We had our first race for gold, and when I was able to roll him up the front straight, it showed I still had just enough legs left to get the job done, so I made sure I didn't go to the best of three again!” In other results, young guns Kelland O’Brien and Cameron Scott claimed fifth in the Madison, while Annette Edmondson was fourth in the omnium, and Ashlee Ankudinoff and Amy Cure finished sixth in the women’s Madison. Morton and Glaetzer will now move on to the UCI Track World Cup's fourth round to be held in London from December 14. All other members of the Australian Cycling Team will be back in action on home soil at the 2019 Cycling Australia Track National Championships which begin in Melbourne on Thursday 13 December at DISC Velodrome with the Para-cycling Nationals. The Omnium Nationals cap the week on Friday 14 December, with Melbourne Arena to host a massive night of racing on Saturday 15 December headlined by the Madison, Team Sprint and Team Pursuit Nationals. >>> tracknationals.org.au
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Commonwealth Games debutant Rebecca Wiasak won silver in the women’s individual pursuit, finishing behind 2016 Olympic team pursuit champion Katie Archibald from Scotland. Annette Edmondson took the bronze.
Wiasak wowed the crowd in the afternoon qualifying with a Games record (3:25.936), which also eclipsed her own national record. However Archibald eclipsed that mark in the very next ride. In the final, Archibald looked strong early, before Wiasak took the lead and a .3sec advantage at the halfway mark. However Archibald fought back and stopped the clock at 3mins 26.088secs ahead of Wiasak (3:27.548).
Rebecca Wiasak
I went hard. I used all my energy and enthusiasm. I'm happy to finish both races. I'm as thrilled today with a silver as I would be with a gold. I knew it was going to be a tough ask coming up against Katie Archibald, she's such a classy rider and you're stoked to make the final and you definitely have to stay confident that I could take it to her in the final. I'm really happy to finish off both my rides really strongly. It was bitterly disappointing to miss out on the team pursuit but you have to draw strength and inspiration from those rides," Wiasak said. Watching it in bed last night trying to rest up for today, I was so emotional for the girls, you were in tears seeing them on the podium knowing that could have been you. But I've been in that position so many times - the final rider cut - so when I was just sitting and waiting for today to jump up on the track I said to myself 'you've been waiting so long for this moment'. I was the last rider cut for Glasgow and the fastest individual pursuiter at that point that season, and the last rider cut for Rio so I had to sit at home and watch as the non-travelling reserve so I know disappointment but it's continued to drive me and use that fire in the belly to keep me going and get me on this track.
Bronze - NETTIE Edmondson
In an all Aussie affair, Annette Edmondson held off a late surge from reigning national champion Ashlee Ankudinoff to win bronze. Earlier in the day, Edmondson set a Games record and personal best in qualifying (3:27.255) before it was broken by Wiasak and then Archibald.
"I'm satisfied, I wasn't sure what to expect going in after yesterday, it was pretty solid on the legs but I had to go out there and focus and luckily I could pull out a PB. "It was really tough in the final because you're up against your teammate and you really want to make it on the podium but at the same time one of your teammates doesn't get to come home with a medal, so it was hard but I am satisfied with the time I was able to ride. "We've put our heart and soul into it the last few years and it just comes down to the day and who has the right prep or who believes in themselves more on the night, and sometimes there's a bit of luck involved."
The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Track competition will take place at the Anna Meares Velodrome (Brisbane) from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 April.
It will feature 20 events - eight endurance, eight sprint and four para-cycling - with the eight track endurance events to include the points race and scratch race, and the team and individual pursuits. The team pursuit is set to make its Commonwealth Games debut for women. The 2018 Games is likely to provide a milestone for team, with Australia having won 96 Commonwealth Games cycling gold medals. WOMEN'S TEAM
Photo - Cycling Australia
A six-member women’s endurance squad with a rich blend of World Championship, Olympic and Commonwealth Games experience will line up for Australia at the Games.
Reigning Games scratch race champion Annette Edmondson, 26 (SA) is back on the track for her second Games, with the dual world champion eyeing a spot in Australia’s team pursuit quartet for the event’s debut. Edmondson’s 2015 team pursuit world champion teammates Amy Cure, 25 (TAS) and Ashlee Ankudinoff, 27 (NSW) will provide tremendous experience and multiple options for all four events. Cure, a dual 2014 Games medallist and 2014 points race world champion, is fresh from two national championship crowns in the scratch and points races. Ankudinoff, Australia’s only dual world champion in the team pursuit, boasts two World Championship medals in the individual format. Dual individual pursuit world champion Rebecca Wiasak, 33 (ACT), who narrowly missed selection to the 2014 Commonwealth and 2016 Olympic teams, will make her major Games debut. 2016 Olympian Georgia Baker, 23 (TAS) overcame heart surgery in November to make her first Games team, while Alexandra Manly, 22 (SA) will also make her debut. Manly, with Cure, Ankudinoff and Wiasak claimed silver at the 2017 World Championships, less than half a second behind world champions USA. MEN's TEAM
Photo - Kevin Anderson
The seven-member men’s endurance squad might feature six Games debutants, but the team enjoys a wealth of experience, collectively boasting 19 rainbow jerseys and countless options for the pursuit and bunch races.
Triple 2010 Games gold medallist Cameron Meyer, 30 (WA) returns to the Australian team and enters fresh from claiming the points race world crown last month, his ninth career rainbow jersey. Like his fellow Perth native, Olympic team pursuit silver medallist and reigning individual pursuit national champion Samuel Welsford, 22 (WA) will be a threat in any race, as will three-time world champion Leigh Howard, 28 (VIC) who receives his first Games nod. Hometown fans will be eager to see Jordan Kerby, 25 (QLD) in action, with the 2017 individual pursuit world champion rocketing to cult hero status after riding to the third fastest time in history just months after returning to track cycling. Rounding out the side is 2017 world champions Alexander Porter, 21 (SA), Nicholas Yallouris, 24 (NSW), plus Kelland O’Brien, 19 (VIC) - the youngest member of Australia’s 36-member cycling team. While the men’s, and women’s, track endurance teams bypassed March’s World Championships a part of the Australia Cycling Team strategy to focus on the Games, the quartet of O'Brien, Yallouris, Kerby and Howard soared to Oceania gold last November in 3min 52.421secs - one of the top ten fastest pursuit times in history. The focus for both squads lies firmly with the team pursuit on day one, with the exact line up for each of the four events, to be confirmed closer to the competition start date.
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HOW DO I FOLLOW? Follow all the action at commonwealthgames.com.au, or via the official CommGamesAUS social media channels / #TeamAus PHOTOS
Photos © Kevin Anderson, and Cycling Australia.
 Image via Kevin Anderson Commonwealth Games Australia is pleased to announce a strong 36-member team to contest the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Reigning Commonwealth Games champions Stephanie Morton, Matthew Glaetzer and Annette Edmondson headline the track selections, in addition to the return of 2010 Gold medallists Cameron Meyer and Kaarle McCulloch. Reigning road national champions Alexander Edmondson and Shannon Malseed, triple world championship medallist Katrin Garfoot and 2006 Commonwealth Games road race gold medallist Mathew Hayman feature in the road selections. The team will vie for 26 gold medals - track (16), para-cycling track (4), road (4), and mountain bike (2) competitions in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast from 4-15 April. Australian Team Chef de Mission Steve Moneghetti welcomed the athletes on to the Australian Team. “We enjoyed strong success at Glasgow 2014 from the Cycling team, so with the depth and experience we have in this team we look forward to more success at Gold Coast 2018,” he said. “The cycling program is an incredibly exciting one for fans, with competition at the new Anna Meares Velodrome, road cycling events that are free and open to all spectators and mountain biking at the Nerang trails. “With many of these athletes spending a lot of time abroad, Gold Coast 2018 provides a unique chance for these athletes to compete in front of a home crowd,” Moneghetti said. With the announcement of the 36 cyclists today, the Australian Team currently numbers 222, or just under half the anticipated total of 470 athletes. TEAM OVERVIEW The men’s track endurance squad is replete with rainbow jerseys, with reigning team pursuit world champions Samuel Welsford, Kelland O’Brien, Leigh Howard, Alexander Porter and Nicholas Yallouris, plus individual pursuit world champion Jordan Kerby; named in their first Games’ team. Three-time world champion Leigh Howard will also debut, with eight-time world champion and triple 2010 Games Gold medallist Cameron Meyer rounding out the strong line up. Defending scratch race Gold medallist and dual world champion Annette Edmondson, dual 2014 Games medallist and world champion Amy Cure and 2010 representative Ashlee Ankudinoff will lead the women’s endurance squad. Dual world champion Rebecca Wiasak, Rio Olympian Georgia Baker and rising star Alexandra Manly all receive their first Commonwealth Games’ selections. “It’s really not that often someone gets to represent their country in a home Commonwealth Games in their career, so for me, it’s something very special that I’ll never forget,” said Cure, a dual medallist from 2014. “(I am) super excited to have the team pursuit on the calendar at the Games. I’m really excited to see what the team can achieve; as one of our three Olympic events, it’s great to get another opportunity to race this race in front of big crowds.” Australia’s sprint crew is awash with Commonwealth Gold with defending sprint champion Stephanie Morton to form a formidable women’s sprint duo with 2010 team sprint champion Kaarle McCulloch. 2014 keirin Gold medallist Matthew Glaetzer will spearhead an impressive men’s sprint quartet with Rio Olympians Nathan Hart and Patrick Constable, and Jacob Schmid. A host of Australia’s WorldTour elite highlight the road selections, with reigning national champion Alexander Edmondson, 2006 Commonwealth Games road race Gold medallist Mathew Hayman, Steele Von Hoff, Mitchell Docker, Callum Scotson and Meyer, forming a versatile six-member men’s road squad. “I have very fond memories of the 2014 Commonwealth Games from Glasgow, so I am really excited about lining up in the road race in 2018,” said Edmondson, who won Gold and Silver in the pursuit events on the track four years ago. “Of course being a home games there’s a bit of added pressure, but we are going to have a home crowd cheering us on which is going to be huge. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity of racing in the green and gold on home soil!” Triple world championship medallist and 2014 Commonwealth Bronze medallist Katrin Garfoot will head the six-member women’s team with reigning road national champion Shannon Malseed, dual national road champion Gracie Elvin and 2010 Games Bronze medallist Chloe Hosking, who gains a third team selection. 2010 team member Tiffany Cromwell returns while Sarah Roy makes her debut. “It's a bit of a pinch yourself moment,” said Hosking who becomes just the third Australian female cycling behind Anna Meares and Kathy Watt to be named to contest three Commonwealth Games. “To think I represented Australia at 20 in Delhi and I'm still racing and still getting stronger and still pulling on the green and gold. I would never have dreamt this growing up.” The Tandem Para-cycling selections are led by 2016 world champions Jessica Gallagher and Pilot Madison Janssen, while Bradley Henderson will make his debut with Pilot Thomas Clarke who won Bronze at the 2014 Games. 2014 Bronze medallists and dual Olympians Daniel McConnell and Rebecca McConnell (nee Henderson) will contest the mountain bike cross-country competition. “I'm very excited about the upcoming Games, to have a home Commonwealth Games is going to be a great experience,” said McConnell who grabbed a top ten finish at last year’s World Championships in Cairns. “I have pretty high expectations going into the Games. “I really like the course, I think it suits my strength pretty well. I just want to get to the start line 100% fit and ready to go, if I can do that anything is possible.” Similarly, Rebecca McConnell is hoping the home course advantage plays into her hands when she lines up against a world-class field. “I have been fortunate enough to race on the course at the Nationals Series in January, it's a great course, with technical climbing and descending and the strongest rider will win,” said Henderson. “With world champions and World Cup winners in both the men's and the women's field the racing is going to be fast and exciting so we hope to see lots of spectators in April!” Australia has enjoyed strong success at recent Games with a 24-medal haul including seven gold in Glasgow in 2014, and 21 medals (14 gold) in Delhi in 2010. Tickets still available to 12 sports across the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games competition schedule. Commonwealth Games Australian Cycling Team ROAD
MTB
TRACK ENDURANCE
TRACK SPRINT
PARA TRACK (TANDEMS)
* Commonwealth Games debutant |
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