Kiwi track cyclists earned solid ranking points without stepping on the podium on day two of the UCI World Cup in Hong Kong.
The experienced Tom Sexton finished fifth in the men’s four-event omnium. The Southland rider placed ninth in the opening scratch race, 12th in the tempo race, sixth in the elimination and fifth in the pivotal points race.
Sexton finished on 126 points with a strong overall performance to be only 11 points off the podium.
The super-experienced Bryony Botha and relative newcomer Prudence Fowler teamed to finish sixth in the 30km madison, the two-rider event where riders swap with a hand-sling motion. The pair won two of the opening four sprints, going on to finish on 20 points, equal with Italy and just eight points off the podium in the event won by France from Great Britain.
Earlier Ellesse Andrews qualified seventh in 10.605s in the women’s individual sprint, with teammate Olivia King 27th fastest in 11.012s as both moved to the match-racing phase.
While King went out in the first round to Iana Burklalova by just 0.1s, Andrews dispatched Japan’s Aki Sakai in the first round and edged out Stefany Cuadrado Florez (COL) in the second round to move to the best of three-race quarterfinals.
The kiwi star was beaten in two close battles with the impressive Mina Sato (Japan) with the kiwi pair moving on to the keirin competition on the final day.
Fellow sprinter Sam Dakin had his first action in the men’s keirin, but missed out on the medal rounds after being edged out in the repechage, and will move to the individual sprint tomorrow.
The 2024 omnium world champion, Ally Wollaston returns to that event on the final day, while Keegan Hornblow and George Jackson combine in the men’s madison.
