Team Pursuit fifth as Glaetzer flies at World Championships

Australia’s women’s team pursuit squad has it's eyes squarely set on Rio after claiming fifth overall at the 2016 UCI Track World Championships in London on Friday.

TRACK CYCLING: Australia’s women’s team pursuit squad has it's eyes squarely set on Rio after claiming fifth overall at the 2016 UCI Track World Championships in London on Friday.

The quintet of 2015 world champions Amy Cure (TAS), Annette Edmondson (SA), Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), debutant Georgia Baker (TAS)and dual reigning world champion in the individual discipline Rebecca Wiasak (ACT), were denied back-to-back titles following one of the deepest women’s team pursuit competitions ever seen at a World Championships.

Team Australia may have entered the Championships as reigning world champion and record holders, but they also carried an interrupted preparation to their title defense.

2015 world champion and renowned team pursuit specialist Melissa Hoskins (WA) was struck down with pneumonia last December, while dual reigning world champion Annette Edmondson (SA) was lucky to board the plane to London after colliding with a car at over 50km/hour just two weeks ago.

“America really brought it to us and it's great heading into Rio,” Ankudinoff added. “The depth of the team pursuit is really exciting and it's just going to keep us on our toes.

“So we're going to go back to what we do best. That's train hard and have our head down, bum up and we'll be full strength come Rio.”

Men's Sprint

World number one ranked sprinter Matthew Glaetzer (SA) showed just why he sits atop the UCI rankings, with the fastest flying 200m time in the men’s sprint qualifying held on Friday morning.

Glaetzer stopped the clock in 9.766seconds, just pipping hometown hero Jason Kenny and Dutch rider Jeffrey Hoogland who posted identical 9.767 second rides.

The Adelaide cyclist then accounted for former world champion Theo Bos (NED) in the round of 16, before dispatching China’s Xu Chao in the next round to progress to the quarterfinals.

There he will face an epic battle with four-time and defending sprint world champion Gregory Bauge (FRA).

Men's Omnium

2012 world champion Glenn O'Shea (SA) sits ninth after the first three of six events in the men's omnium.

O'Shea finished fifth in the opening event, the scratch race, before a seventeenth place in the individual pursuit and a seventh in the elimination race.
The final three events - time trial, flying lap, points race - will be held on Saturday.

CYCLING AUSTRALIA