Welsford and Meyer Named for World Championships

Published On: 10 February 2016

WAIS cycling athletes Sam Welsford and Cameron Meyer have been selected to compete for Australia at the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in London.

Meyer – a six time world champion makes his return to the boards at international level for the first time since 2012, having focused on road cycling in recent years, which has yielded Grand Tour rides at both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.

Welsford makes his senior track cycling world championship debut, off the back of a meteoric rise at this month’s national track championships in Adelaide, where the 20 year-old won gold in the individual pursuit to announce himself as an emerging force in Australia’s endurance ranks.  

Absent from the Australian camp is reigning women’s team pursuit world champion Mel Hoskins – who has been battling illness and will miss the titles from March 2-6, to instead focus on returning to full health ahead of the Olympics, where she is expected to remain a crucial part of Australia’s chase for gold in Rio.

Cameron Meyer is expected to contest the madison in London, an event he won gold in with Leigh Howard at the 2010 World Championships in Denmark.

Cycling Australia National Performance Director Kevin Tabotta is encouraged by the depth of talent in Australia’s men’s endurance and confirmed that Weslford would have the opportunity to stake his claims for Rio selection in London.

“Our talent goes deep in men’s endurance right now, highlighted by the exceptional times set by our youth group in the team pursuit at the Hong Kong World Cup,” said Tabotta. “We’re going to field a highly competitive team pursuit squad in London with a mix of experience and new talent.

“Sam, Callum (Scotson) and Alex (Porter) are three exciting inclusions for London and I can assure you that these guys are all serious contenders for team spots in Rio and are eager to show what they can do.”

Speaking on Hoskins’ absence, Tabotta said he expected the reigning WAIS Athlete of the Year to return better than ever ahead of the Olympic selection deadline of June 27.

“Melissa’s illness is unfortunately timed, but missing the Worlds won’t affect her run towards Rio and we expect her to be back, fitter than ever,” he said.