UCI JUNIOR TRACK CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – DAY 5 NZ WRAP
Nelson sprinter Shaane Fulton led the New Zealand efforts on a challenging final day at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Switzerland.
Fulton finished fifth in the women’s keirin final to highlight today’s competition for the New Zealand team who started the week with a gold medal in the men’s team pursuit.
Fulton was third in her opening heat but the 17-year-old, who was a finalist in this competition last year, dug deep to win her repechage with an excellent ride.
She was third in her semifinal, which was re-run after an initial mistake by officials, to qualify her for the final. Fulton placed herself behind the eventual winner from Germany but came off her racing line a fraction and was forced wide as a result which proved costly on the small 200m track at Aigle, eventually finishing fifth.
The two Madison competitions did not fare well for the New Zealanders with the hopeful pairing of Corbin Strong and Bailey O’Donnell disqualified after being judged to have caused a crash in the qualifying race.
The pairing of Sami Donnelly and McKenzie Milne, riding together for the first time after illness to Ally Wollaston, were among several teams that did not finish the gruelling 20km women’s Madison.
“The boys in the Madison were unfortunate in taking an aggressive line to avoid a less experienced rider but in doing so were deemed to have caused the crash,” said head coach Jon Andrews.
“They were going well at the time and were very disappointed with the decision.”
Earlier Jarred Treymane and Thomas Garbutt finished 16th and 17th respectively in qualifying for the 1000m time trial, where the winner Thomas Cornish from Australia set a new world record in 1:00.498.
“We have done well in the timed racing but our lack of competition in bunch racing has left us exposed a little. We have made strides this year with the new Subway Track Series but that will take time to reap more rewards,” said Andrews.
“It has been evident here that the junior sprinters are very big and powerful and the endurance riders also possess more speed and power than our riders who are more endurance-based. That said to come away with a world title is fantastic and we have come close to adding to this with two other fourth placings.
“We have a number of talented young riders who will be eligible next year and we will be very competitive.”
Day 5 results: 1000m time trial: Thomas Cornish (AUS) 1:00.498, 1 (World Record); Jakub Stasny (CZE) 1:01.597, 2; Qi Liu (CHN) 1:02.007, 3. Also: Jarred Treymane 1:04.224, 16; Thomas Garbutt 1:04.234, 17. Final: Cornish 1:00.979, 1; Stasny 1:01.830, 2; Anton Hohne (GER) 1:02.358, 3.
Women Keirin: Round 1: Giada Capobianchi (ITA) 1, Anna Dozhdeva (RUS) 2, Shaane Fulton (NZL) 3. Heat 5: Nikola Sibiak (POL) 1, Andrea Ortiz (VEN) 2, Sophie-Leigh Bloxham (NZL) 3. Repechage Heat 2: Lana Tyshenko (RS) 1, Bloxham 2. Heat 6: Fulton 1, Hueun Kim (KOR) 2. Semifinal 2: Lea Friedrich (GER) 1, Tyshenko 2, Fulton 3. Final: Friedrich 1, Sibiak 2, Tyshenko 3. Also: Fulton 5.
Women Madison 20km: France 70 points, 1; Russia 46, 2; Australia 38, 3. Also: New Zealand (Sami Donnelly, McKenzie Milne) dnf.
CAPTION: Shaane Fulton in action in the keirin at the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland.
Credit: ©klementdesign – UCI