Nicole Murray (Te Awamutu) was the first of the New Zealand Para cyclists to win a bronze medal today at the 2020 UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships in Canada in the Women’s Individual Pursuit C5. Murray also won a silver in this same event, the Women’s Individual Pursuit C5 at the 2018 World Championships.
When asked about how the day went for her Murray said: “My qualifying race was not my best, but I managed to pull through with an acceptable time. I really wanted to redeem myself for the final today and I’m really glad about how I went about that. Damian [coach] and all the support staff have been really great today and I just hammered out some pretty consistent lap times today and managed to secure a bronze. You have to be happy with a personal best!“
She continued: “The best part of my experience at the World Championships has been being part of a really good team environment. Everyone has been so supportive of each other and it makes you want to keep competing with such a great group of people.“
Murray then went onto place 5th in the Women’s Scratch Race C5, a new race for both Murray and teammates Anna Taylor and Sarah Ellington. This contributed to a 4th placing in the Women’s Omnium C5. Murray has a left wrist amputation resulting from an accident.
Back on the track today were yesterday’s gold medallists and World Champions Emma Foy (Marsden Wheelers – Whangarei) and Hannah van Kampen (Ramblers – Hawkes Bay) who also repeated their performance from last year’s World Championships winning a bronze in the Women’s Tandem 1km Time Trial.
Foy said: “We were really happy to be so close to the silver medallists from the Netherlands who are a sprint specialist tandem. We also knew that having two pursuit races yesterday would make today pretty tough. To come away with a bronze medal is a great result.“
Van Kampen: “We were really happy with how it went today. Technically we rode a really good race today. We are really lucky to have such good support behind us.“
Foy and van Kampen were less than 0.5 seconds behind the silver medallists Larissa Klaassen and Imke Brommer (Netherlands). Foy was born with ocular cutaneous albinism resulting in a visual impairment. Van Kampen is the sighted pilot that rides with Foy on the front of the tandem bike.
Stu MacDonald (PNZ Para Cycling Head Performance Coach) said: “It has been a huge day with the entire team competing and there were some great results. Such as Anna Taylor producing a personal best in the Individual Pursuit. It was great to see Nicole win bronze after reflecting on her qualification ride and executing a really good ride in the final. Emma and Hannah had a solid ride to come third. To podium against some of the best sprint specialists bodes well for Tokyo. With Sarah, Nicole and Anna riding the scratch race for the first time they all rode really well, leading to great results in the Omnium and an excellent way for them to wrap up their week.“
Anna Taylor (Te Awamutu) was the first rider to compete in day 3 of the 2020 UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships and placed 7th in time of 4:04.623 in qualification race of the Women’s Individual Pursuit C4. This was a personal best time for Taylor by 3 seconds and shows her continual progress at an international level. She then raced the Women’s Scratch Race C4 placing 5th and contributing to her overall 7th placing in the Women’s Omnium C4. Taylor has a spinal condition resulting in a loss of muscle power in both legs.
Para cyclist Sarah Ellington (Auckland) placed 5th in the Women’s Scratch Race C2 also contributing to her overall 4th place in the Women’s Omnium C2. Ellington has incomplete paraplegia from an accident resulting in a loss of muscle power in both legs.
Mitchell Wilson (Te Awamutu) and Jackson Ogle (Te Awamutu) made their event debut competing in the Men’s Tandem 1km Individual Time Trial placing 8th. Tomorrow will see the tandem pairing wrap up the 2020 UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships for the team as they compete in the Men’s Tandem Sprint. Wilson had a medical condition resulting in a visual impairment. Ogle is the sighted pilot that rides with Wilson on the front of the tandem bike.
Nick Blincoe (Auckland) wrapped up his World Championships campaign placing 14th in the highly competitive Men’s Individual Pursuit C4. Blincoe has complete loss of muscle power in his right arm due to a sporting injury
Tomorrow will see the New Zealand Para Cycling Team wrap up the 2020 UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships with Mitchell Wilson (Te Awamutu) and Jackson Ogle (Te Awamutu) competing.
Find out here on this link the full schedule of the New Zealand Para Cycling Team at the 2020 UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships.
The event is live streamed on uci.org and results are shared daily on our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Photo credit: Rob Jones
