Cycling Australia Release Long List for World Champs
Cycling Australia has released a long list of 19 athletes for the March 24-28 World Track Cycling Championships in Denmark.
The announcement of a 13 member Junior World Championship team was also released, with Western Australian Institute of Sport athletes featuring prominently in both lists.
Whilst both lists are to be reduced following a training camp in Adelaide in the lead up to the World Champs, recent strong performances at the National Track Championships has put the nine WAIS scholarship holders in with a good chance of representing Australia.
Josie Tomic, Sarah Kent, Cam Meyer, Travis Meyer, Luke Durbridge (WAIS-AIS) and Scott Sunderland (AIS-WAIS) have all been named in the senior squad, whilst Michaela Anderson, Bella King and Holly Williams will all be hoping to travel to Montichiari, Italy from 11 to 15 August for the Junior World Champs.
The news was met with great pride for WAIS head cycling coach Darryl Benson who has played a significant role with each of the nine scholarship holders during various stages of their respective careers.
“It was very pleasing news to see so many WAIS athletes included in the two squads,” Benson said. “We stand to have a record six senior athletes on the team if all are selected, which would better last year’s five.”
The decision to create a long camp (starting this week up until March) in Adelaide is as much a reflection on the build up to London 2012 as it is this year’s World Champs, with Benson at pains to stress that complacency must be avoided.
“In the run in to London, nothing is a given,” he said. “With the depth and level of talent, it is far more important making a team this year than it was last year after Beijing.”
“The worst thing that can happen is complacency and honestly, there is enormous work to be done before London.”
Benson pointed particularly to the emergence of the men’s team pursuit following the IOC’s decision to cut the points race, madison and individual pursuit in return for the inclusion of the omnium.
“Positions for the men’s team pursuit will be ruthless every single rider will be vulnerable and it will be a real fight for positions,” Benson said.
Benson’s penchant for developing elite young track cyclists was again put in sharp focus with three cyclists named in the initial squad for Junior World Champs. Holly Williams snared three junior national championship gold medals in the sprint events whilst Bella King enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with a clutch of medals and dual junior world champion Michaela Anderson was also amongst the medals in Adelaide.
“It’s great for the three girls, they’ve worked hard and it’s nice that they have the opportunity to show their wares at the track camp starting soon,” Benson said.
Keep posted to wais.org.au for further details and final squads when they are released in March.