Best result ever for Kiwis as track Para cycling concludes
In Glasgow today, the track Para cycling wrapped up with a total medal count of 10 – New Zealand’s best result by a considerable margin.
Coach Damian Wiseman is thrilled with a best-ever track result at a World Championships:
“To put this campaign in context, the team here has achieved more medals than ever before at a track world champs. It follows on from our success last year – also a best ever with 7 medals. What we have seen here is the bar being lifted a year out from the Paralympics. Everyone’s times have been faster and performances at a higher level than last year and all the Kiwi athletes have risen with this. Numerous world records have tumbled during this competition and our team has had a number of personal best times throughout. It lets us know that we are on track as we head towards Paris 2024 next year.”
Today, we saw Paralympian #213 Sarah Ellington go head-to-head with a packed field in the C1/C2 Scratch Race. She placed 8th.
Wiseman praised the performance:
“It has to be the best scratch race that I have seen Sarah ride. Tactically and strategically she really showed she has stepped up and her physical progress meant that she could deliver on that strategy. She missed being able to go with the other girls with 9 laps to go but really did race an outstanding race.
“She has ridden very strongly over the track competition and is starting to show some of the gains we are making off the bike. The top of her classification is very strong but she has delivered really well over the last week.”
Nicole Murray, Nick Blincoe and Devon Briggs gained valuable Paralympic qualification points in the mixed C1-5 team sprint. They placed a solid 9th out of 14 nations. With a new combination of riders and with a last-minute change to start order, the team delivered a significant PB time.
Looking ahead to Day 1 of road Para cycling
This evening NZST will see the Para Cycling Team relocate to Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland. This is where the road Para cycling events take place. The first three athletes up will be Paralympians Stevo Hills, Rory Mead and Eltje Malzbender. Each competes in the Individual Time Trial.
Mead competes on a handcycle and showed a strong return to competition in May when he won silver and bronze in the Huntsville World Cup. Hills and Malzbender compete on a tricycle. Malzbender is a past road Para cycling world champion.
Results
| Athlete | Event | Result | Sports Class |
|---|---|---|---|
Day 1 | |||
| Nicole Murray | 3Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying | 2nd (qualified for gold final) +3.325 + PB | WC5 |
| Anna Taylor | 3Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying | 3rd (qualified for bronze final) +7.713 + PB | WC4 |
| Sarah Ellington | 3Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying | 5th +22.023 | WC2 |
| Ben Westenberg | 4Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying | 5th +7.016 + PB | MC4 |
| Nick Blincoe | 4Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying | 22nd +37.730 | MC4 |
| Devon Briggs | 3Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying | 4th (qualified for bronze final) +7.416 | MC3 |
Day 2 | |||
| Nicole Murray | 500m Time Trial Qualifying | 3rd +0.998 | WC5 |
| Ben Westenberg | 200m FS Time Trial | 4th +0.962 | MC4 |
| Nick Blincoe | 200m FS Time Trial | 7th +1.232 | MC4 |
| Nicole Murray | 500m Time Trial Finals | Bronze +0.639 | WC5 |
Day 3 | |||
| Sarah Ellington | 200m FS Time Trial | 9th | WC2 |
| Devon Briggs | Kilometre Time Trial Qualifying | 2nd (qualified for final) | MC3 |
| Nick Blincoe | Kilometre Time Trial Qualifying | 15th +6.901 | MC4 |
| Ben Westenberg | Kilometre Time Trial Qualifying | 9th +4.833 | MC4 |
| Devon Briggs | Kilometre Time Trial Finals | Bronze +0.644 | MC3 |
| Anna Taylor | 10Km Scratch Final | 4th | WC4 |
Day 4 | |||
| Nicole Murray | 200m FS Time Trial | 4th | WC5 |
| Nicole Murray | 3Km Individual Pursuit Finals | Silver | WC5 |
| Devon Briggs | 15Km Scratch Finals | Bronze | MC3 |
Day 5 | |||
| Sarah Ellington | 500m Time Trial Qualifying | 9th | WC2 |
| Devon Briggs | 200m FS Time Trial | 1st (non-medal event) | MC3 |
| Anna Taylor | 500m Time Trial Qualifying | 5th +3.092 | WC4 |
| Nick Blincoe | 15Km Scratch Finals | 20th | MC4 |
| Ben Westenberg | 15Km Scratch Finals | Silver | MC4 |
| Anna Taylor | 500m Time Trial Finals | 4th +2.604 | WC4 |
| Devon Briggs | 3Km Individual Finals | Bronze | MC3 |
Day 6 | |||
| Anna Taylor | 200m FS Time Trial | 2nd (non-medal event) | WC4 |
| Anna Taylor | 3Km Individual Pursuit Finals | 4th | WC4 |
| Nicole Murray | 10Km Scratch Finals | 4th | WC5 |
Day 7 | |||
| TBC | Team Sprint Qualifying | 9th | M/WC1-5 |
| Sarah Ellington | 10Km Scratch Finals | 8th | WC2 |
Omnium | |||
| Ben Westenberg | Omnium | Bronze | C4 |
| Nick Blincoe | Omnium | 11th | C4 |
| Devon Briggs | Omnium | Bronze | C3 |
| Anna Taylor | Omnium | Gold | C4 |
| Sarah Ellington | Omnium | 7th | C2 |
| Nicole Murray | Omnium | Gold | C5 |
About the World Championships
The UCI Cycling World Championships have been dubbed the ‘Super Worlds’ as they bring together 13 different World Championships in various cycling disciplines into one massive event in Glasgow, Scotland. The Para cyclists compete in track events until Tuesday 8th August, and then contest road events from Wednesday 9th August through to Sunday 13th August.
