Golden double for Webster in World Junior Cycling

It has been a golden start to the UCI World Junior Track Championships for New Zealand cyclist Sam Webster who picked up his second rainbow jersey today.

Webster (Auckland) followed his world championship title in the team sprint with Ethan Mitchell and Cameron Karwowski on the opening night of the championships in Moscow yesterday, with a brilliant victory in the keirin today.

He won his first qualifying round and the semifinal to gain the top ranking for the six-lap final of the event which sees the riders paced in increasing speed by a motorised bike over the first four laps before pulling off the track.

The Aucklander dominated the final, beating home Italy’s Rino Gasparrini and Germany’s Alexander Reinelt before celebrating with his second world championship title in as many days.

It has been a breakthrough for BikeNZ which has never won a medal in and world championships, Commonwealth or Olympic Games in either the team sprint or Keirin.

It is just the sixth gold medal won by New Zealand at the junior world track championships following Alan Miller in the kilo time trial at Wanganui in 1983, Sarah Ulmer in the individual pursuit and points race at Quito in 1994, the team pursuit in 2005 in Austria and yesterday’s team sprint victory.

Team manager Mike McRedmond said Webster produced a classy display today.

“He is right on top of his game here. Sam is in great shape but also rode with great tactics and never made a mistake. That’s a credit to our sprint coach Justin Grace who has left no stone unturned in his preparation,” McRedmond said.

“The team are in incredible spirits and I know they don’t want the performances to finish here.”

It was nearly but not quite for Canterbury riders Ruaraidh McLeod and Josh Atkins who finished fourth and fifth respectively in the 3000m individual pursuit.

McLeod pipped his teammate Atkins by just 3/10ths of a second for the final medal ride-off spot. He pushed hard in the bronze medal ride clocking 3:20.907 but was beaten by Russia’s Ivan Savitskiy who edged the kiwi in each of the time checks.

In qualifying Atkins was third fastest of all riders through the 2km mark but faded slightly in the final kilometre.

Australian Michael Hepburn took the gold medal when he set a new world record of 3:15.586 in the final.

Taupo’s Patrick Bevin finished 15th in the men’s points race after claiming the opening sprint, won by Denmark’s Sebastian Lander.

Canterbury’s Michael Vink, who crashed heavily in training and had been an uncertain starter in the world championships, finished a highly creditable eighth in the scratch race to finish in the leading pack won by Italy’s Dario Sonda.

Canterbury’s Elizabeth Steel was 12th in the women’s individual pursuit clocking 2:33.137. She was sixth through the midway point.

McLeod and Atkins are joined by Southland’s Hamish Tomlinson on the track tomorrow in the team pursuit, world champions Ethan Mitchell and Cameron Karwowski compete in the kilo time trial and Steel takes part in the scratch race.

Results, UCI World Junior Track Cycling Championships:

Keirin final: Sam Webster (NZL) 1, Rino Gasparrini (ITA) 2, Alexander Reinelt (GER) 3.
Individual pursuit, 300m qualifying:
Michael Hepburn (AUS) 3:15.743, 1; Konstantin Kuperasov (RUS) 3:17.172, 2; Ivan Savitskiy (RUS) 3:17.970, 3; Ruaraidh McLeod (NZL) 3:19.646, 4; Josh Atkins (NZL) 3:19.994, 5.
Gold ride-off: Hepburn 3:15.586, 1 (world record); Kuperasov 3:28.116, 2.
Bronze ride-off: Savitskiy 3:18.790, 1; McLeod 3:20.907, 2.
Points race: Sevbastian Lander (DEN) 12 points, 1; Yu Motosuna (JPN) 10, 2; Matvey Zubov (RUS) 10, 3. Also: Patrick Bevin (NZL) 5, 15.
Scratch race: Dario Sonda (ITA) 1, Matias Greve (DEN) 2, Muhamad Othman (MAT) 3. Also Michael Vink (NZL) 8.
Women’s individual pursuit, 2000m: Michaela Anderson (AUS) 2:26.282, 1; Amy Cure (AUS) 2:27.207, 2; Hanna Solovey (UKR) 2:27.858, 3. Also Elizabeth Steel (NZL) 2:33.137, 12.