Glen Thomson savoured a special moment while watching television coverage of Tom Scully winning the 40km points race at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow yesterday.
Thomson, of Invercargill, won gold in the same event at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.
Scully phoned Thomson 30 minutes after his success yesterday.
"He was as cool [on the phone] as he was riding," Thomson said.
"With one sprint to go, I knew he had it; he just killed it," said Thomson, who first met Scully nine years ago.
Scully worked after school at Cycle Surgery in Cromwell but, soon after the SIT Velodrome was built in Invercargill, he moved south to take advantage of the facilities.
A mechanic at Cycle Surgery recommended Scully to Thomson, owner of Invercargill's Cycle Surgery. Scully gained work after school there and transferred his final year of schooling to Verdon College.
Scully works in Thomson's business most summers and is expected back at the end of the year.
Thomson admires Scully's work ethic, determination and desire to succeed. Determination was seen in Scully's recovery and comeback to top level racing after he crashed into a power pole during the Tour of Ireland in 2010. He broke his femur and had to pull out of the Commonwealth Games in India four months later.
Article and photo courtesy The Southland Times