A highlight for Southland was the battle between two Cycling Southland riders, Marshall Erwood and Magnus Jamieson, for the under 19 men 1000m time trial title.
Marshall Erwood (shown) and Magnus Jamieson battled it out for gold in the under 19 men 1000m time trial.
By Eugene Bonthuys
There were some great results for Southlanders on the first day of the Track National Championships on Wednesday.
The event, being hosted by Cycling Southland at the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, has drawn a field of over 170 of New Zealand’s best track cyclists to Invercargill, with local riders showing that they are up for the challenge.
A highlight for Southland was the battle between two Cycling Southland riders, Marshall Erwood and Magnus Jamieson, for the under 19 men 1000m time trial title. Erwood had the faster start, but Jamieson came back at him and the race was too close to call as they headed into the final lap. Erwood was awarded the win by mere hundredths of a second, with Jamieson taking silver.
There was also a great performance from Southlander Lily Keast, racing in the colours of Canterbury Track Cycling, taking gold in the under 15 girls elimination race, and following that up with gold in the under 15 girls 500m time trial.
Cycling Southland’s Hayden Strong announced his return to his home track with a silver medal in the final race of the evening, the Elite men’s 15km scratch race, finishing a close second behind winner Oliver Watson-Palmer of Te Awamutu Sports. Strong has spent the last couple of years racing on the road in the United States and Europe, and is making the most of the opportunity to get back into racing, and winning, at home in Invercargill.
Hayden Strong made a medal-winning return to racing on his home track.
In the under 15 boys time trial, Cycling Southland’s Benson Boys and Oliver Keast claimed silver and bronze respectively, behind Te Awamutu Sports’ Carter Paine, who set a new national record of 35.036s on his way to gold.
In the 500m time trial for Elite women, Alana Breen of G Force Cycling Club claimed silver behind winner Amelia Sykes of Canterbury Track Cycling, while Caitlin Kelly, also of G Force, claimed silver in the under 19 women 500m time trial, behind Meghan Baker of Canterbury Track Cycling.
Racing will continue throughout the week, finishing on Sunday, with morning sessions starting at 9am, and evening sessions starting at 5pm, except for Sunday, when it will start at 4pm. For more information on schedules and results, visit the Cycling New Zealand website.
The Southland Tribune is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
