Cycling Australia

Friday, 14 April 2006

14 April 2006

Kersten scores World Championship silver medal

Commonwealth Games champion Ben Kersten, 24, tonight scored the silver medal in the kilometre time trial behind defending World Champion, Chris Hoy of Great Britain on day two of the World Championships in Bordeaux, France.

Kersten was the second last rider to post a time clocking 1min02.085sec for the four laps but admits he knew even before Hoy took to the line that it wouldn't be enough for the gold.

"Unfortunately when I was waiting I knew there wasn't much to wait for because I knew the time wasn't enough so I wasn't sitting on the edge of my seat quite as much as Melbourne," said Kersten who was a two time junior World Champion in the event and at senior level placed sixth in 2002, fifth in 2003 and 2004 and fourth last year. He hadn't planned to ride the 'kilo' here in France but his victory in Melbourne last month changed his mind.

"Unfortunately I started dreaming of gold after the Commonwealth Games and if I hadn't done that this would be a pretty good moment right now, it still is but I just need a little while to get over it," he said. "The worst thing is probably not doing a good time because if you do a good time and don't win it's fair enough."

Hoy, who was third in Melbourne, made no mistakes tonight posting 1min01.36sec to better Kersten's time by seven tenths of a second. Frenchman Francois Pervis was third in 1min02.695sec. Victorian Joel Leonard was ninth in 1min04.092sec.

Earlier in the night Sydney's Kate Bates finished fifth on 29 points in the women's 25km points race won by Italian Vera Carrara (35 points) with Russian Olga Slysureva second on a count back. Spain's Gema Pascual was third on 32 points. Bates, who claimed gold in the event in Melbourne and was the silver medallist at last year's World Championships in Los Angeles, was one of eight riders who lapped the field and with two sprints remaining looked set for a medal position. But a chest cold that had plagued her preparation took its toll and she faded in the final stages.

"I'm on one hand happy because I felt so hideous and I didn't know what I would be capable of so fifth is okay but on the other hand it's frustrating and I think I've still got a lot to learn," said the 23 year old. "Considering this is my sixth year (racing points at world level) I feel like a slow learner but one day I'll get there and I'm committed to hanging around until I do.

"Physically I've been struggling a little this week probably more with the flu than anything else but also mentally it's hard to peak again three weeks later (after Commonwealth Games)," Bates said. "But it's something we have to do and if we want to compete on the world stage we have to learn to do that so no excuses for anyone but fair to say we've struggled a little bit."

She plans to rest up ahead of Sunday's scratch race, the event in which she claimed silver at last year's World Championships.

"I certainly hope a day off will help and I plan to spend every minute of that in bed getting better," Bates said. "The scratch race is always a bit of a lottery but I'll go in and race to a plan and see what comes out of it."

In the morning qualifying session Australia's sprinters were disappointed to miss the finals in both the men's keirin and the women's sprint events. Anna Meares posted 11.625sec for the flying 200m to be seeded 12th while her sister Kerrie's time of 11.805sec put her in 18th. Kerrie was bundled out in the first round by Italy's Elisa Frisoni while Anna won through to the second round only to come up against in form Belarus rider Natalia Tsylinskaya who had qualified fastest in 11.052sec.

"When she came past me it was like a motorbike and she actually rode faster in the final 200 metres of our second round heat than I had managed in qualifying," said Anna Meares who took silver in the event in Melbourne and was third at the 2005 World Championships.

In the men's keirin Australia's three hopes, Ryan Bayley, Shane Kelly and Shane Perkins, all missed the chance of a straight run to the second round and were forced to line up in the repechage heats. Perkins tried to help Bayley to victory in the first heat but the Commonwealth and Olympic Games Champion was pipped by Italian Roberto Chiappa. In the second repechage heat fast finishing Frenchman Mickael Bourgain swamped Kelly on the line to halt his keirin hopes.

Saturday's day three action will see Bayley back on the bike for the men's sprint competition, the pursuiters will line up in the teams event and Rockhampton's Miles Olman will represent the 'Cyclones' in the men's scratch race.

The Australian medal tally now sits at two silver and two bronze medals after eight of 15 events contested.

Sprint Group
• Ryan Bayley (WA 09.03.1982) keirin, sprint and teams sprint
• Shane Kelly (VIC 07.01.1972) teams sprint and keirin
• Ben Kersten (NSW 21.09.1981) kilometre time trial
• Joel Leonard (VIC 22.07.1981) kilometre time trial, teams sprint (reserve)
• Anna Meares (QLD 21.09.1983) 500m time trial, sprint and keirin
• Kerrie Meares (QLD 04.09.1982) 500m time trial, sprint and keirin
• Shane Perkins (VIC 30.12.1985) teams sprint and keirin

Endurance Group
• Katherine Bates (NSW 18.05.1982) points race, scratch race and individual pursuit
• Simon Clarke (VIC 18.07.1986) Madison
• Peter Dawson (WA 04.02.1982) teams pursuit
• Sean Finning (VIC 22.01.1985) points race
• Matthew Goss (TAS 05.11.1986) teams pursuit
• Ashley Hutchinson (QLD 09.05.1979) teams pursuit
• Mark Jamieson (TAS 04.05.1984) individual pursuit, teams pursuit
• Katie Mactier (VIC 23.03.1975) individual pursuit
• Miles Olman (QLD 23.02.1986) scratch race and Madison
• Stephen Wooldridge (NSW 17.10.1977) teams pursuit

Event schedule
Thursday April 13
• Women's 500m Time Trial
• Women's 3km Individual Pursuit
• Men's 40km Points Race
• Men's Teams Sprint
Friday April 14
• Women's Sprint through to quarter finals
• Men's Keirin
• Women's 25km Points Race
• Men's 4km Individual Pursuit
• Men's Kilometre Time Trial
Saturday April 15
• Women's Sprint semis and finals
• Men's Sprint through to quarter finals
• Men's 15km Scratch Race
• Men's Teams Pursuit
Sunday April 16
• Women's Keirin
• Women's 10km Scratch Race
• Men's 50km madison
• Men's Sprint semis and finals

Rider profiles, results and information are available on the Cycling Australia website www.cycling.org.au

For further information (media only) please contact:
Gennie Sheer, Sheer Rhetoric - Media Manager, Cycling Australia
(Please note time difference is Australian East Coast -8hrs)
Tel: +61 (0) 418 863 533
Email: gennie@compuserve.com