Southland Cyclists Impress On Final Day Of Track National Championships
The final day of the Track National Championships was highlighted with an impressive New Zealand record in the women’s team sprint at the Grassroots Trust Velodrome in Cambridge.
The women’s team sprint combination of Rebecca Petch, Olivia King and Ellesse Andrews (Waikato BOP) broke the national record in their first ever three-person team sprint. The trio were timed at 48.451s to dip under the previous national record set at the championships last year of 48.475.
The time would have qualified the kiwi trio fifth fastest at last year’s UCI Track World Championships in France and only 0.09s from the third fastest in qualifying.
Leading the way was BMX national champion Rebecca Petch, who rocketed out of the blocks with a 19.01s opening lap which would have been second fastest of all riders at the 2021 world championships.
“It was a pleasing performance given it was not only their first time together, but their first ever three-lap team sprint,” said coach Fionn Cullinane. “It was good preparations for this trio for the upcoming Oceania Championships to see if we can go faster.”
The five-day championships produced several national world-class records and performances with riders now eagerly awaiting the upcoming Oceania Championships in Brisbane.
The final day of competition focussed on team pursuit and team sprint, with the Waikato-BOP combination of Daniel Bridgwater, Zakk Patterson, Kiaan Watts and Oliver Watson-Palmer combining to win the elite men’s team pursuit in 4:03.877 in a dominant performance.
The women’s final also went to Waikato BOP with Bryony Botha, Pru Fowler, Paralympian Nicole Murray and Seana Gray winning in 4:31.500.
Southland claimed the elite men’s team sprint final with Haydn Jack, Nick Kergozou and Bradly Knipe clocking 46.079s, which held off Waikato BOP by nearly a second.
In under-15 racing, the Canterbury pairing of Shaylah Sayers and Lizzy Thomson clocked 40.121to win the girls 500m team sprint, edging out Southland by just 0.03s after the southern combination had topped the qualifying.
It completed a clean sweep of six victories at the championships for the outstanding Sayers.
The West Coast North Island combination of Zach Woollett and Ben Murphy were a tick slower in the final of the under-15 boys team sprint than their qualifying but the 37.168 effort was enough to edge Mid-South Canterbury by 0.2s.
The Under-17 team sprint saw the girls’ combination of Riley Faulkner and Caitlin Kelly from Southland prevail in the final in a slick 36.610, managing to go 0.3s faster in the final.
Southland also claimed the male under-17 team sprint final with Magnus Jamieson and George Manson combining to win in 33.885, going nearly half a second faster in the final after being second fastest in qualifying behind Waikato BOP.
The top qualifiers prevailed in the under-17 team pursuit where Waikato BOP’s Caoilinn Gray, Hannah Paine, Piper Russell and Millie Wright clocked 34.660 to win the female final.
It was the same in the male final with Lucas Bhimy, Nate Boness, Jamie Cantell-Roberts and Bernard Pawson combining to win for Auckland in 3:22.300, faster than in their morning qualifying.
In Under-19 racing, Waikato-BOP enjoyed double success in the 750m team sprint finals. The trio of Gemma Cordery, Jessica Schuler and Seana Gray dominated the female final in 52.553 while Kyle Aitken, Liam Cavanagh and Jaxson Russell clocked 46.788 to win the male final.
Cycling New Zealand will now eye the upcoming Oceania Championships, with track selections finalised this week. The championships will be staged in and around Brisbane in all disciplines starting with mountain bike 26-27 March, track cycling 2-5 April, with BMX and road race on 9 April.