Second Title for Tomic
Western Australian Institute of Sport cyclist Josephine Tomic has claimed her second gold medal of the championships adding the women’s 25km points race title to the individual pursuit crown she won yesterday.
Tomic, 21, collected early points after setting the pace in the strong field which featured fellow team pursuit world champion Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), reigning junior points world champion Amy Cure of Tasmania and former junior world champions Melissa Hoskins (WAIS) and Isabella King (WAIS), both from West Australia.
Tomic held off strong challenges to finish with 26 points just ahead of Hoskins (24pts) with Cure of Tasmania in third place with 20 points.
“I managed to just hold on and now, two from two, so I am very happy,” said Tomic. “I haven’t touched the points (handle) bars for two or three months, so I was a little bit unsure what to expect going into this.
“Plus it was a shame to not have Belinda Goss and Megan Dunn, our two top points riders, out there tonight as it is always good riding against them.
“But while they are away, I will always try to take my chance and see how I can go and I pulled it off tonight.”
WA’s dominance of the points race continued in the women’s U19 with WAIS athlete Jessica Allen claiming line honours in what WAIS coach Darryl Benson described as “the ride of the night”.
In one of the most inspiring performances of the championships, Allen recovered from a nasty early race crash to take gold in the 20km points race. The race was stopped after just ten of 80 laps when Allen, Kayla Salopek (NSW) and Emily Roper (QLD) crashed heavily in the back straight. Roper withdrew but Salopek and Allen both lined up when the race was restarted.
Putting the crash behind her Allen launched a daring solo attack halfway through the race in a bid to lap the field and gain valuable sprint bonus points along the way. For 25 laps she seemed stuck half a lap ahead of the bunch, collecting points but not seeming to gain ground. But she didn’t give in and her determination had the fans on their feet willing her on. Five laps from the finish she finally took the lap and the 20 point bonus to give her an unassailable lead on 36 points.
Queensland’s Taylah Jennings won the final sprint to clinch the silver medal with 24pts and Tasmania’s Georgia Baker (10pts) finished in third place.
“It was amazing, before the race I knew I had to make it as aggressive as possible,” said Allen, 17, who finished in the top twenty in both the road race and time trial at last year’s Junior Road World Championships in Italy.
“So the first half of the race I kept myself composed as I knew it would all happen in the second half.
“With about 20 laps to go, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to stay out there, but every lap I went past them, they were cheering me on so I figured I had to keep going,” said Allen of her West Australian team mates who were banging the fence and screaming support.
“It took a while to get the lap, but I was so glad when I got it,” added Allen.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Scott Sunderland (AIS-WAIS) was pipped for a national title by Australian teammate Shane Perkins.
Perkins broke the Australian championship record in yesterday’s qualifying session with his time of 10.058 for the flying 200m and then breezed through the early rounds. He was given a free pass through the semi-finals after Canberra’s Daniel Ellis withdrew injured.
Sunderland, who qualified third fastest with 10.201, fought back from one heat down in his semi final against South Australia’s Matthew Glaetzer to earn a berth in the final. In the first heat Perkins looked to be in control as the pair heading into the final turn for home but a surge by Sunderland in the final 25 metres saw him edge out Perkins on the line to take the win.
Perkins changed tactics in the second heat with a burst of speed that shut out his rival. In the third and deciding heat Perkins blew past Sunderland to clinch the win.
“Scott was riding really well and pulled out some great rides in the final and fortunately I had enough legs to get over him tonight,” said Perkins, who was glad the walkover in the semi final did not affect his performance in the final. “It didn’t do me any good actually, as I was trying to warm up in the middle and it’s a bit of a different feel as you lose the feel of the track and your confidence of being out there.
“And the first heat was really fast, but I managed to find my legs in the second and they just got better in the third,” added Perkins.
South Australia’s Matthew Glaetzer was awarded the bronze medal in the absence of an opponent to race.
Sydney’s Kaarle McCulloch claimed her second gold medal of the week with a dominant display in the women’s 500 metre time trial. McCulloch, 22, covered the two laps in a time of 34.465, over a second and a half faster than silver medallist Stephanie Morton of South Australia who posted 36.005. WAIS cyclist Holly Williams (37.078) claimed bronze.
“I was a bit disappointed with the first lap, as I wanted to get in the low 19’s which I was near,” said McCulloch who claimed the title last year, “But I was (only) two tenths off my PB today, so I am on the money.
“With the timed events I never think about who I am up against, it is about doing the best time I can.”
McCulloch, who claimed the gold in last night’s team sprint with Cassandra Kell, was the second fastest in this morning’s sprint qualifying with 11.431 behind her team sprint world champion partner Anna Meares, who broke the Australian Championship record with her time of 11.088.
“I think I am riding into my legs this week and I have been working really hard with my coach Gary West on some tactical strategies ahead of the sprint, so I really think I have a good shot at the gold medal tomorrow,” added McCulloch.
– Cycling Australia