CYCLING: Australia 2015/16 UCI World Cup season has begun with three medals earned from the three-day competition held in Cali, Colombia.
Matthew Glaetzer (SA) claimed silver in the keirin, as did Anna Meares (SA) and Stephanie Morton (SA) in the team sprint. The men's team pursuit squad of Daniel Fitter (QLD), Jackson Law (NSW), Alex Porter (SA), Callum Scotson (SA) and Sam Welsford (WA) added bronze.
The final day of racing saw Glaetzer take fifth in the sprint and Morton seventh in the keirin. Welsford finished twelfth overall in the omnium after winning the flying lap and Elissa Wundersitz (WA) finished 24th. Daniel Fitter and Jackson Law rounded out the competition finishing sixth in the Madison.
Australia's best will now turn their attention to the second round of the UCI Track World Cup Series which will be held in Cambridge, New Zealand from 5-6 December, before the 2016 Omnium National Championships in Adelaide December 16-17.
Day 3
Men's Sprint
Australian and Oceania sprint champion Matthew Glaetzer claimed fifth in the sprint by winning the 5th to 8th place final. It completed a strong showing at the World Cup for Glaetzer who took silver in the keirin and fourth in the team sprint earlier in the week.
Matthew Glaetzer the fourth last rider to qualify, setting a time of 9.815secs which was only bettered by Jeffrey Hoogland (Netherlands) who posted 9.789secs. Jacob Schmid was the next best Aussie with 10.017secs.
In the 1/16 finals Glaetzer defeated Chaebin Im (Korea), while Schmid was knocked out in the one-up match sprint by eventual event winner Denis Dmitriev (Russia).
Glaetzer then breezed through the 1/8 finals over Edward Dawkins (New Zealand) for a spot in the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals Russia's Denis Dmitriev was too quick for Glaetzer in the first race. Tables were turned in the second with victory going to Glaetzer and sending it to a decider. Dmitriev was too strong defeating Glaetzer in the decider.
Gold went to Denis Dmitriev (Russia) ahead of Jeffrey Hoogland (Netherlands) while Max Niederlag (Germany collected bronze).
Women's Keirin
Stephanie Morton finished seventh in the keirin winning the 7-12 final with a strong sprint. It was a successful three days of competition for Morton who claimed silver in the team sprint with Anna Meares.
"The day didn't start off so great but I managed to end the day with some really solid performances," Morton said. "It's not often we get to race at this level so I really made the most of it and soaked up as much as I could."
After finishing seventh in her first round heat Morton returned in the repechage to take a comfortable win and a spot in the second round.
In round two Morton hit out early but found herself boxed in with one lap to go, finishing fifth. In the 7-12 final, Morton powered down the final strait to take the win.
"I learned a lot which is the main thing. Overall I'm really happy with the start of the 15/16 season," added Morton.
"I've put down some solid performances and times so hope to keep doing that as the season rolls on."
Gold went to Kristina Vogel of Germany ahead of Shuang Guo (Giant-Max Success Sports Pro Cycling) and Ekaterina Gnidenko (Russia).
Men's Madison (non-Olympic)
Reigning national Madison champion Jackson Law teamed up with Daniel Fitter to post a sixth place finish.
Law and Fitter took points in two of the first three sprints to be sitting in the bronze medal position at the half way point. Germany and Spain took separate laps changing the dynamic of the race in the final half.
Law and Fitter continued to fight for points adding to their tally in the fifth of six sprints before finishing sixth.
Germany emerged with gold ahead of Spain, as Switzerland rounded out the podium with bronze.
Men's Omnium
Sam Welsford finished twelfth in the omnium after a strong day second day of competition.
Welsford put in a storming ride of 1min 2.977secs in the 1km time trial, finishing second - a big improvement on his performance at the Cali World Cup in January where he finished 18th place finish and a time of 1min 5.304secs in the kilo to second in 1min 2.977secs this time.
Shortly after the time trial, Welsford flew around the track for a flying lap time of 12.878secs. The time was over two tenths faster than his nearest rival and saw him claim his first win in an omnium event at World Cup level.
In the final points race, the lead constantly changed as riders took laps while also picking up points across the sprints. Welsford was active in the early part of the racing picking up points in the third sprint before taking a lap with a number of other contenders.
As the action heated up in the second half of the race Welsford was able to hold his own to finish twelfth overall.
Women's Omnium
West Australian Elissa Wundersitz finished the omnium in 24th position. After a hard first day, Wundersitz improved on day two in her stronger events completing the 500m time trial in 36.975secs for the 18th quickest time and 21st in the flying lap with 14.987secs.
Laura Trott (Great Britain) claimed the gold medal on 213 points ahead of Laurie Berthon (France) 160 and Sarah Hammer (United States) 153.
Day 2
Reigning Oceania Champion Matthew Glaetzer (SA) added a silver medal in the keirin to Australia's tally on the second day of the UCI Track World Cup in Cali, Saturday.
Anna Meares (SA) and Stephanie Morton (SA) finished sixth and eighth respectively in the sprint. In the UCI C1 events Callum Scotson finished ninth in the individual pursuit and Lauren Perry (TAS) fifteenth in the scratch race.
At the half way point of the omnium Sam Welsford (WA) is sitting in fifteenth place and Elissa Wundersitz in 24th.
Men's Keirin
Matthew Glaetzer claimed silver in the keirin, immediately jumping on the wheel of the derny in the final. A fast finishing Joachim Eilers (Germany) got the jump and was able to hold off Glaetzer. Edward Dawkins of New Zealand rounded out the podium.
"I executed my race plan almost perfectly in the keirin final tonight," Glaetzer said. "I got the motorbike and let Edward Dawkins flow over to take the lead which set me up well.
"The German Eilers then came around me and I chased him to the line but he was too strong."
A third place finish in his first round heat forced Glaetzer to go through the repechage, but strong ride in the repechage earned him the win and a spot in the second round. In round 2, Glaetzer was in control from start to finish powering home for a convincing win to secure a spot in the final.
"I made a couple of mistakes in my first round which made me race the repechage to get back into the competition but from then on I was really happy with how I raced."
"It sure has been a good start to the week with a team sprint fourth and the keirin silver tonight and I'm feeling pretty good considering the amount of racing in my legs already so we'll see how the sprint goes tomorrow. "
Women's Sprint
Reigning Olympic Champion Anna Meares finished sixth in the sprint, with teammate and Commonwealth Games Champion Stephanie Morton two spots behind in eighth.
In qualifying Meares, the ninth last rider to start flew around the track posting a time of 10.878secs to move in to the lead. 2 riders later Morton posted a time of 10.921secs. With all riders finished Meares had the fifth fastest time and Morton seventh.
"I'm very happy with my qualifying time," Morton said. "It was a huge day for me with team sprint the day before and I'd never gone that fast let alone twice so was stoked to post a sub 11 time."
Meares was too strong for Jinjie Gong (China) in her 1/16 final heat while Morton came over the top of Daria Shmeleva (Rusvelo) to advance.
In the 1/8 final Meares took the win over Virginie Cueff (France). Morton was just edged in the final strait by Anastasiia Voinova (Rusvelo) but booked a spot in the quarterfinals winning her repechage heat ahead of Simona Krupeckaite (Lithuania) and Elis Ligtlee (Netherlands).
After losing the fist race in the quarterfinals to Wai Sze Lee (Hong Kong), Meares made it one a piece with a strong victory in race two. It was a close battle in the third and deciding race but Lee proved too strong. Second fastest qualifier Tianshi Zhong (China) was able to overcome the challenge by Morton sending both Australia's to the 5-8 final.
"I'm really happy with the rounds. I've got some things to take home and work on but overall I'm happy with where I'm at. So chuffed with results so far.
"To get that record with Anna was really special and I wont be forgetting it any time soon," Morton said of setting a new Australia Record in the team sprint yesterday. "I said to Anna after the race I wish they had got a photo of the moment I saw the score board, my jaw just about hit the ground."
Gold was won by Tianshi Zhong of China ahead of Shuang Guo (Giant-Max Success) and Wai Sze Lee (Hong Kong).
Men's Individual Pursuit
Callum Scotson posted a time of 4mins 30.264secs to finish ninth as the sole Australian representative in the individual pursuit.
"It was really nice to get the chance to race an IP," Scotson said. "Up until now I've never raced a world class IP in senior ranks.
"I'm not super happy with my time, but I still put in a solid ride and I'm happy with how I've performed over the World Cup.
"It was a pretty hard ride out there after three team pursuit rides yesterday and pretty windy conditions out on the track."
Germany's Domenic Weinstein claimed gold in 4mins 20.069secs ahead of Andrew Tennant (Great Britain) 4mins 22.095secs, while bronze went to Dmitry Sokolov (Russia) 4mins 22.141secs.
Women's Scratch Race
Lauren Perry the Oceania and Australian Champion produced an excellent ride to finish fifteenth in the UCI C1 scratch race. For Perry who claimed the Australian title in January and the Oceania title earlier in October it was her first senior bunch race at the international level.
Gold went to Cuba's Arlenis Sierra ahead of Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Jennifer Valente (United States). The medal winners along with Lydia Boylan (Ireland) all gained a lap during the race.
Men's Omnium
At the half way point Oceania Champion Sam Welsford is sitting in fifteenth position having finished 13th in the scratch race, 15th individual pursuit in 4mins 34.014secs and 17th in the elimination race.
Viktor Manakov (Russia) leads on 108 points ahead of Elia Viviani (Italy) 102 and Aaron Gate (New Zealand) 94.
Women's Omnium
Oceania Championship bronze medallist Elissa Wundersitz is in 24th position following a hard opening day for the young West Australian. Wundersitz finished 24th in both the scratch race and individual pursuit and 23rd in the elimination race.
At the half way point Laura Trott (Great Britain) leads on 114 points, with Kirsten Wild (Netherlands) on 104 and Tatsiana Sharakova (Belarus) 90.
Day 1
Australia claimed two medals on the opening day of competition at the UCI Track World Cup in Cali, Colombia.
Anna Meares (SA) and Stephanie Morton (SA) took silver in the team sprint and set a new Australian Record in the process. The men's team pursuit squad of Daniel Fitter (QLD), Jackson Law (NSW), Alex Porter (SA), Callum Scotson (SA) and Sam Welsford (WA) added bronze to the tally in the final event of day one.
Nathan Hart (ACT), Jacob Schmid (VIC) and Matthew Glaetzer (SA) narrowly missed a medal in fourth in the team sprint. As Isabella King (WA), Alex Manly (SA), Danielle McKinnirey (SA), Lauren Perry (TAS) and Elissa Wundersitz (WA) finished sixth in the team pursuit.
Women's Team Sprint
Three time team sprint world champion Anna Meares joined Stephanie Morton to claim silver in 32.588secs, behind world champions China after setting an Australian record of 32.546 seconds in qualifying earlier in the day.
Meares and Morton got off to a strong start in the race for gold, leading after one lap but China proved too strong in the second 250 metres to claw back gold.
"I'm very happy with how I rode in my position and as a collective with Steph," Meares said.
"A new Australian record... Everyone loves setting a record. To take silver behind the world champions from China is nothing to be disappointed about.
"I am loving the challenge. It tells me that Gary West and his team at the Cycling Australia High Performance Unit in Adelaide are right on the mark for our plan and preparation for Rio and I am backing them all the way.
"It's a great start to the competitive season, reflective of a great pre season of hard work."
Morton and Meares will now turn their attention to the sprint competition tomorrow.
Rusvelo claimed bronze in 32.605secs.
Men's Team Pursuit
A youthful team of Daniel Fitter, Jackson Law, Alex Porter, Callum Scotson and Sam Welsford combined to claim bronze in 4mins 1.060secs, a time that was the fastest of all rides in the finals.
"Yeah despite missing out on being in the gold final I think we are all really happy with how we went, having three consistent rides," said Scotson.
"Each round we were right in the mix with the top countries, who have brought strong teams so that is a nice feeling."
"Its always a bit daunting starting the track season and waiting to see how you are going but we all seem to have started well and can hopefully keep improving from that through the rest of the season."
In qualifying Fitter, Law, Porter and Scotson, the penultimate team to start covered the 16 laps of the track in 4 minutes 1.301 seconds keeping them in contention for a podium finish.
Welsford came in for Fitter in the first round as Australia narrowly missed defeating Switzerland with an improved time of 3mins 59.402secs.
The race for bronze was a close battle with Denmark, who lead for the first three kilometres before a powerful final 1000 metres by Fitter, Law, Porter and Scotson lead Australia to bronze by nearly two seconds.
"It's satisfying to get back on the podium, we always aim for the top step but I think all the boys are happy with the performances we gave today," Law said.
"I was particularly happy as it was my first time going under the four minute mark. Three rounds in the one day was a big task but the boys handled it really well."
Gold went to Russia in 4mins 1.064secs ahead of the team from Switzerland with 4mins 1.972secs.
Men's Team Sprint
Nathan Hart, Jacob Schmid and Matthew Glaetzer finished fourth in a time of 43.694secs, just slower than the Netherlands 43.106secs.
"It's always great to improve your ride," said Schmid on improving their qualifying time by two tenths of second. "We managed to squeeze out a couple tenths of a second through nailing our laps better.
"We're all quite happy with how we're going as a team, this world cup is a bet of a stepping stone for the next world cup and the rest of the season, so it's a really great start."
Gold went to Germany 43.095secs ahead of Poland's 43.748secs.
Women's Team Pursuit
A consistent set of rides by the Isabelle King, Alex Manly, Danielle McKinnirey, Lauren Perry and Elissa Wundersitz earned the young team a sixth place finish with a time of 4mins 37.385secs in the final.
"We came into Cali world cup with a young mixed group of girls. Bella our senior rider and four development riders, myself, Elissa, Lauren and Dani the current junior omnium world champ," explained Manly, who claimed gold in Cali in January.
In qualifying by Wundersitz, King, Manly and McKinnirey posted the eighth fastest time, 4mins 35.229secs to secure a spot in the next round.
In round one Lauren Perry came in for McKinnirey as the team was able to improve their time to 4mins 34.111secs, setting up a race with Poland for fifth and sixth in the final.
"Our first round was messy and had plenty of room for improvement, just qualifying eighth. However fixing our errors in the following rounds, we managed to move into the ride off for fifth. We stepped up and rode as one. Balancing the work load between five riders."
"I was happy with our end result, obviously top 4 would be nice. But today wasn't meant to be. I am proud of the girls for growing stronger each round and we all took something away from the racing, which will benefit us later down the track.
"I was happy with how I went considering where I am at in this point or training," added McKinnirey who made her debut in the senior ranks, following two junior world titles the past two years.
"I gave everything I had on the day and the team really pulled together for such a young team and left it all out there on the track."
Gold went to Canada who dominated proceedings in 4mins 20.139secs ahead of the United States 4mins 25.826secs and Great Britain with bronze 4mins, 26.662secs.
Cycling Australia
