Australia has finished the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships with three medals after Stephanie Morton won a bronze medal in the final event of the Championships, the women's keirin.

Morton's bronze added to the team sprint silver won with Kaarle McCulloch on the opening day of competition. All three of Australia's medals came through the sprint squad with Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson, and Thomas Cornish winning team sprint bronze on day one. 

Despite Australia exiting a Track World Championships without a gold medal for the first time in twelve years, Australian Cycling Team Performance Director Simon Jones remains focussed on the team's overarching strategy which is aiming to deliver success at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

"Australia has had a pretty glittering history of winning world titles - in 2017 we won more world titles than you could poke a stick at and that is not what we are trying to achieve this year," Jones said. 

"We want to win in Tokyo. Yes, we were aiming for podium performances here, or very close to, and you can't hide the fact we have come up short in some areas. But we have to learn from it. 

"We tried several different things here, and we have to settle on a plan and then train to it. Now we have finished this period. We gave everyone opportunities, and now we have to gather the facts and make some decisions now.

"There are five months to the Games, which is a long time." 

Jones was impressed by the results of debutants Maeve Plouffe, 20, Luke Plapp, 19, and Tom Cornish, 20, who moved into the team via the Podium Potential Academy. 
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"The youngsters did very well, it is great to see, and that is a testament to the Academy in that we are providing opportunities to younger talent. They also provide upward pressure, and that is really good to see."

Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson and Thomas Cornish surged to bronze in the team sprint in what was Australia’s highest finish at a World Championships in eight years. 

With Matthew Glaetzer withdrawing on the eve of the Championships due to a leg injury, Podium Potential Academy member Cornish, 20, received a call up for his maiden elite World Championships. 

The addition of Cornish meant a reshuffle of positions within the team for the three-lap event, with the youngster moving into the first-wheel position and Richardson to third. Despite the changes, the Australian trio opened their 2020 campaign with the fourth-fastest qualifying time and a combination-best time (42.996), before powering into the bronze medal final by defeating Poland in the first round (43.044). 

The trio then scorched France to take the bronze medal with another combination-best time of 42.829secs to put Australia on the podium for the first time since 2012. The group averaged 63km per hour over the three laps. ​

Tom Cornish - “I didn’t think this would be the outcome, to be honest. I just took it race by race today and it came together. I’m just really happy how I rode and the team rode.” 

Nathan Hart - “It was unfortunate with Matt Glaetzer getting injured quite recently, but we backed Tom Cornish here and he delivered exceptionally today. It was really great to string three solid rides together. I have never podiumed since my first champs in 2014, so this is definitely a highlight of my career so far.” 

Matthew Richardson - “We just took it ride by ride, being the starter, {then] going to third wheel was a challenge, but I just dug deep and took it home for the boys.”

The Netherlands took an emphatic gold medal, setting world records in both qualifying and the final.

ENDURANCE 

• Ashlee Ankudinoff - St George CC, NSW - 2019 individual & team pursuit world champion
• Georgia Baker - Northern Districts CC, TAS - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Amy Cure - Mersey Valley Devonport CC, TAS - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Annette Edmondson - Norwood CC, SA - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Alexandra Manly - Central Districts CC, SA - 2019 points race & team pursuit world champion
• Maeve Plouffe - Port Adelaide CC, SA - World Championship debut
• Leigh Howard - Geelong CC, VIC - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Cameron Meyer - Midland CC, WA - 9-time career world champion 
• Alexander Porter - Scotch College CC, SA - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Cameron Scott - St George CC, NSW - 2019 team pursuit world champion
• Samuel Welsford - Northern Beaches CC, WA - 2019 scratch & team pursuit world champion
• Luke Plapp - Brunswick CC, VIC - World Championship debut

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Australia heads into the Championships as the defending champions in five events - men's and women's team pursuit; men's scratch, women's points race and women's individual pursuit. 

Australia's title defence in the men's team pursuit will begin in the opening session and will feature world record holders Sam Welsford, Alexander Porter, Leigh Howard, plus Cameron Scott. 

Podium Potential Academy member Luke Plapp comes into the team to replace world champion and world record holder Kelland O'Brien who will not race the World Championships as he continues his recovery from a broken collarbone sustained in January. Plapp, a dual 2018 junior world champion, will make his elite Worlds debut in the individual pursuit and is listed as a reserve for the team pursuit. 

Nine-time career world champion Cameron Meyer will take on the omnium, and the Madison with Sam Welsford, while Welsford will take to the track in defence of his scratch race world title. 

SCHEDULE - DATE (IN AUS); TIME (AEDT)

Thurs 27/2 430am - 8am

• W - Scratch 10km    Alexandra Manly
• W - Team Sprint    Stephanie Morton/Kaarle McCulloch
• M - Team Sprint    Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson, Thomas Cornish
• M & W Team Pursuit    Qualifying 11pm AEDT

    
Fri 28/2  430am - 730am

• M - Team Pursuit   Leigh Howard, Sam Welsford, Cameron Scott, Alexander Porter
• M -  Scratch 15km    Sam Welsford 
• M - Keirin   NA
• W - Team Pursuit   Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Annette Edmondson, Maeve Plouffe
• W - Sprint   Qualifying 1230am 

    
Sat 29/2   430am - 815am

• M - Points race 40km   TBC
• M -  Kilometre Time Trial   Cameron Scott, Alexander Porter
• M - Individual Pursuit    Luke Plapp
• W - Omnium    Georgia Baker
• W - Sprint    Stephanie Morton; Kaarle McCulloch

    
Sun 1/3   230am - 6am

• W - 500m Time Trial    Kaarle McCulloch
• W -  Madison 30km    Annette Edmondson/Amy Cure
• W - Individual pursuit    Ashlee Ankudinoff; Maeve Plouffe
• M - Omnium    Cameron Meyer
• M - Sprint    Qualifying 9pm 

    
Mon 2/3   12am-3am

• W - Points Race 25km    Alexandra Manly
• M -  Madison 50km    Cameron Meyer/Sam Welsford 
• W - Keirin    Stephanie Morton
• M - Sprint    Nathan Hart, Matthew Richardson

​​WATCH 

Live on FOXSPORTS Australia Channel 506

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