TRACK CYCLING

Australian sets record in winning Oceania cycling effort

By Sports Media NZ

Australian Matthew Glaetzer blitzed his way to a new national allcomers record for the flying 200m on day three of the Oceania Track Cycling Championship at Invercargill.
 
The Commonwealth Games keirin gold medallist clocked 9.797sec qualifying time which was the fastest flying 200m ever recorded in New Zealand.
 
He continued that form to claim the Oceania sprint title with two strong rides in the final against local hero Eddie Dawkins at the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome.
 
Dawkins paid credit to the powerful Australian.
 
“The Oceanias are a huge target for New Zealand and Australia and they brought their A game,” Dawkins said.
 
“Matthew is a fast man and it’s hard to keep up. He loves this track and he seems to perform really well here.”
 
Australia’s Patrick Constable also broke the 10sec barrier with a 9.950 in qualifying but was knocked out of the competition by Dawkins in the semifinals.
 
Dawkins, who holds the record for the fastest 200m time ridden by a New Zealander at home (9.876), was the third fastest qualifier with a 10.001, while former world keirin champion Shane Perkins clocked 10.016 to round out the top four.
 

Photo courtesy of Sports Media NZ

Glaetzer, Constable and Dawkins all advanced out of the quarterfinals after two rides, but Perkins was ousted by 2014 Commonwealth Games sprint champion Sam Webster, who had qualified eighth fastest, over three rides.
 
Glaetzer accounted for Webster in two rides with Dawkins coming from a ride down to edge out Constable in an arresting three-ride semifinal showdown.
 
Australian Sam Welsford won four of the six events on the way to winning the elite men’s omnium title.
 
Aaron Gate won the 40km points race in the final event to grab silver, with fellow New Zealander Nick Kergozou taking bronze in the multi-discipline event.
 
Georgia Baker (Aus) has a handy 12 point lead over New Zealand’s Lauren Ellis after day one of the elite women’s omnium.
 
Ellis won the scratch race but Baker hit back with victories in the individual pursuit and elimination race to compile 118 points.
 
Kirstie James (NZ) is in third place, trailing the leader by 14 points.
 
New Zealand’s Emily Shearman leads the women’s under 19 omnium after three events with 118 points. She finished second in the scratch race before winning the individual pursuit and elimination race to lead Australian Chloe Heffernan by eight points, with Wanaka’s Ellesse Andrews a further two points back.
 
The New Zealand under 19 men’s pursuit team produced a dominant display to overtake their Australian counterparts for the gold medal.
 
Australia’s Tahlay Christie claimed the under 19 women’s sprint title from New Zealand’s Emma Cumming, with Georgia Quick (Aus) winning bronze from Loren King.
 
Despite suffering a heavy crash during the early rounds, Southland’s Bradley Knipe continued his impressive form, adding the under 19 men’s sprint title to the 1000m time trial and team sprint golds he had won earlier in the week.