World Championship Bronze for Hoskins and King

WAIS cyclists Mel Hoskins and Bella King have won bronze in the women’s team pursuit after lapping Poland in the bronze medal ride-off at the World Cycling Track Championships in Cali, Columbia.

In the first ever four-rider, four-kilometre women’s team pursuit held at a World Championship level, Annette Edmondson, Amy Cure, Melissa Hoskins and debutant Bella King sealed Australia’s third straight podium appearance in the event.

Third fastest qualifiers in the afternoon session, the Australian quartet made their medal intentions quite clear early in the final, creating a two second lead after the first kilometre.

Never taking the foot off the pedal, they increased the margin to four seconds at the halfway mark. With the Polish team in their sights on the straight, the foursome caught their opponents at the three kilometre mark, automatically ending the race and clinching the bronze.

“The girls did a great job and everyone did their jobs perfectly,” said Edmondson, a two-time silver medallist in the past two years in the event along with Hoskins. “We couldn’t fault anything in the final, of course we like to win gold but we’ve just got to get better as a team because we couldn’t fault ourselves tactically.

“(Tonight) We went out with a different team tactic, we went out hard and we got the job done quickly and I think the girls are happy to finish on a high,” added Edmondson, who now switches focus to the Omnium, and event in which she has found the podium twice in the past two years.

Reigning Olympic and world champions and world record holders Great Britain (4:23.407) survived an early deficit against Canada (4:24.696) to take the gold medal.

-CyclingAustralia