UCI JUNIOR TRACK CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – DAY 5

New Zealand riders challenged strongly on the final day of the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Luoyang, China.

Southland sprinter, Caitlin Kelly, who snatched a bronze medal in the keirin on the final day in last year’s world championship, went close today.

Kelly and fellow kiwi Jodie Blackwood both won their respective keirin heats with commanding performances.

Blackwood missed out in an unusual semifinal with the Colombian rider winning by more than a second, but the remaining five riders in a blanket finish covered by half a second. Blackwood pushed hard to finish fifth, but only 0.02s off a spot in the final.

Kelly finished third in a closely run and aggressive semifinal, snatching the final spot in the final by 0.02s from her Italian opponent.

The final went to the impressive Stefany Cuadrado Florez (COL) with Kelly fifth in the pack-sprint finish.

Auckland’s Lucas Bhimy was ninth in the men’s elimination race, before returning to partner Magnus Jamieson in the 120-lap (30kms) Madison. The kiwi pair were one of seven teams of 14 teams to remain on the lead lap, finishing sixth in an impressive performance.

While Belgium and Italy dominated, the kiwi pair finished third in the final sprint after picking up points on four of the 12 sprints as the leading non-European team.

Southland’s Alex Schuler was 25th in the men’s 1000m time trial in 1:04.127 and Matthew Davidson 31st in 1:05.451.

“The results at these junior worlds highlight the increase in support and guidance with the Cycling New Zealand-High Performance Sport New Zealand sprint and endurance pathways finding their footing over the past year,” said development coach Fionn Cullinane.

“Across both sprint and endurance, we’ve seen a positive shift towards the podium, and in individual events the gap to the top countries will continue to close with more exposure to international competition like the riders have experienced this week.”