Experienced Southland rider Tom Sexton completed a hattrick of top-10 performances to lead the New Zealand team at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai, China.
Sexton, who focussed on individual events in China, earned a silver medal in the scratch race along with sixth in the 40km points race and seventh in the elimination race on the final day to complete a strong showing.
Cycling New Zealand High Performance Director, Ryan Hollows was impressed overall with the track squad which is undergoing a significant rebuild phase after the Paris Olympic Games.
“A key is to secure qualifying points for Los Angeles, and for some in this squad, it was also to experience a world championship. The team has achieved strong points at the championships, especially in the team pursuit for both men and women.
“It has been an important experience for many of the team, given some key riders were unavailable or had compromised build-ups.”
In key Olympic events, the New Zealand team pursuits were fifth (women) and sixth (men), women’s madison was fourth, and women’s team sprint sixth.
“We have nearly two years to Los Angeles. There is a lot of hard work to do but we are confident we are building a competitive programme towards the Olympics.”
Sexton led the impressive performances on the final day with teammates George Jackson and Keegan Hornblow seventh in the two-rider madison. In the women, the experienced Bryony Botha was 11th in the points race and Ellesse Andrews 11th in the keirin.
The women’s endurance team will be bolstered next year with the return of Ally Wollaston, who has undergone surgery on her knee.
Sexton leads the elimination race (Credit: SWpix)