TRACK CYCLING

More records to sprinters Hansen and Dawkins in qualifying

By Sports Media NZ

The records continued to tumble on the second morning of the Vantage national track cycling championships in Cambridge today.

Natasha Hansen (Southland) broke the New Zealand record in qualifying for the women’s individual sprint, to add to the national record she set on the way to winning the 500m time trial last night at the Avantidrome.

Later Southland star Eddie Dawkins set a New Zealand Championship record in the men’s sprint qualifying, one of two riders under the magical 10-second barrier.

Hansen will meet junior world championship medallist Olivia Podmore (Canterbury) in one semifinal tonight, while Schofield takes on defending champion Stephanie McKenzie in the other semifinal.

In the men’s semifinals, Dawkins will take on Auckland’s Ethan Mitchell while Webster meets Matt Archibald, who beat off the challenge from last night’s time trial winner, Simon van Velthooven in the quarterfinal.


Natasha Hansen is pushed to the start. Photo © Dianne Manson

Hansen clocked 10.893s for the flying 200m which was 0.1s inside the previous national record set by Stephanie McKenzie at last year’s championships in Cambridge. Such was Hansen’s dominance that she was more than half a second faster than her nearest rival with McKenzie second fastest in 11.562s and Katie Schofield third in 11.582s.

The men turned up the heat in the sprint qualifying, with promising Southland sprinter Ben Stewart, a member of the Cycling New Zealand high performance squad, setting the standard with a personal best 10.208s midway through qualifying.

It was eclipsed by Mitchell with a best 10.069s, then lowered by world championship time trial medallist Archibald to 10.020s.

The big boys came out to play when Dawkins blitzed this with his 9.901s record while defending champion and sprint teammate Webster was just 1/100ths of a second behind, in a personal best on this sized track. Dawkins time was 15/100^th of a second inside the previous championship record established by Webster two years ago.

In under-19 action Manawatu’s double junior world champion Campbell Stewart takes on Waikato-BOP’s Jared Gray in the final of the individual pursuit in the men, while Nicole Shields comes up against Ellesse Andrews in an all-Southland final in the women.


Eddie Dawkins is high on the banking on their way to sprint records at the Avantidrome in Cambridge today. Photo © Dianne Manson

The evening programme starts with a world record attempt in the flying 200m by Wellington’s Kate Horan, the former Paralympics athletes medallist, who holds the national track cycling record in the event. In also includes the conclusion of the sprint competition, under-19 pursuit and keirin, the men’s scratch race and women’s points race.

Day 2, morning qualifying results:
Day 2, results:
Women, sprint qualifiers: Natasha Hansen (Southland) 10.893, 1 (NZ record); Stephanie McKenzie (Southland) 11.562, 2; Katie Schofield (Otago) 11.584, 3;Olivia Podmore (Canterbury) 11.715, 4; Gemma Payne (Canterbury) 12.031, 5; Jaymie King (Waikato BOP) 12.264, 6; Lisa Hunkin (Wellington) 12.271, 7; Hannah Bayard (Auckland) 12.308, 8. Quarterfinals: Hansen bt Bayard; McKenzie bt Hunkin; Schofield bt King; Podmore bt Payne.
Men, sprint qualifiers: Eddie Dawkins (Southland) 9.901, 1 (NZ Championship record); Sam Webster (Auckland) 9.919, 2; Matt Archibald (Southland) 10.020, 3; Ethan Mitchell  (Auckland) 10.069, 4; Ben Stewart (Southland) 10.208, 5; Simon Van Velthooven (West Coast North Island) 10.238, 6; Zac Williams (Auckland) 10.249, 7; Jeremy Presbury (Southland) 10.329, 8; Jordan Castle (West Coast North Island) 10.357, 9; Callum Saunders (Waikato BOP) 10.467, 10; Sam Dakin (Auckland) 10.614, 11; Liam Brown (West Coast North Island) 10.827, 12; Fabian Wybrow (Southland) 10.827, 13; Daniel Rafferty (Canterbury) 10.851, 14; Lewis Eccles (Waikato BOP) 10.912, 15; Rhys Jones (Cantebury) 11.166; 16. First round: Dawkins bt Jones; Webster bt Eccles; Archibald bt Rafferty; Mitchell bt Rafferty; Stewart bt Brown; Van Velthooven bt Dakin; Williams bt Saunders; Castle bt Presbury. Quarterfinals: Dawkins bt Castle; Webster bt Williams; Archibald bt Van Velthooven; Mitchell bt Stewart.
Under-19:
Women 2000m individual pursuit qualifying: Nicole Shields (Southland) 2.27.560, 1; Ellesse Andrews (Southland) 2.28.311, 2; Emily Shearman (West Coast North Island) 2.29.374, 3; Michaela Drummond (West Coast North Island) 2.29.840, 4.
Men 3000m individual pursuit qualifying: Campbell Stewart (West Coast North Island) 3.23.529, 1; Jared Grey (Waikato BOP) 3.24.162, 2; Connor Brown (Auckland) 3.24.872, 3; Josh Scott (Canterbury) 3.25.175, 4.

Details: www.cyclingnewzealand.nz