Hoskins and King Selected for World Championships

Western Australian Institute of Sport cycling stars Melissa Hoskins and Isabella King have been named in the final Australian squad for the 2014 Track World Championships to be held in Columbia from February 26 – March 2.

Hoskins and World Championship debutant King will form part of Australia’s women’s endurance squad, that also contains; Annette Edmondson (SA), Amy Cure (TAS) and Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW).

The squad will be headlined by ten-time world champion Anna Meares who will contest her twelfth World Championships and dual world champion Shane Perkins (VIC) who will line up for his eighth.

2012 team sprint world champion Matthew Glaetzer (SA), 2013 keirin national champion Steph Morton (SA) and 2008 Olympian Daniel Ellis (SA)round out the sprint selections.

“We take the riders through a comprehensive process of competitions and training throughout the summer and all athletes get repeated opportunities to earn their way into the team,” saidKevin Tabotta, National Performance Director, High Performance Unit (HPU), Cycling Australia.

“And at this level they know the margins are tight and competition for spots is intense, and current form is critical for making the final team decisions.”

Following a pre-Worlds camp in Adelaide, the final five-member men’s and women’s endurance events were confirmed, with Alex Morgan (VIC) and Rebecca Wiasak (ACT) narrowly missing selection.

“It goes without saying, it is never easy to omit a rider of the calibre of Alex Morgan, who was a valuable part of our world champion team pursuit quartet in 2013.

“He will be part of our plans for the future and this set back will motivate him toward getting himself back into the team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 World Championships.

“Also, Rebecca Wiasak has progressed a long way in a short time. She now knows what’s required now to break into the women’s team in the future,” Tabotta added.

-CyclingAustralia