Sam Welsford wins 2021 Madison national title

WAIS cycling graduate Sam Welsford won the 2021 Australian Madison National title with Leigh Howard in a hotly contest race.

Welsford, a Rio silver medallist who has been selected for a second Games in Tokyo, paired with two time world champion in the event Leigh Howard. The pair picked up points in 18 of the 20 sprints, with three teams asserting their dominance across the race and trading the lead.

Ahead of the final sprint the pair were one point off the lead of Cameron Meyer and Kelland O’Brien, with three teams off the front, Welsford knew he just had to pick up a single point to take the title. The fast finishing Welsford sealed the deal in a come from behind victory. 

“I think the best thing about it is that it could have gone either way in the top three teams, so it just shows the depth we have in the Madison,” Welsford said.

Silver went to fellow Western Australian Cameron Meyer.