At the world titles in the Netherlands, Australia’s track cyclists have made their presence felt, securing three gold medals and one silver.
In a thrilling showdown, Anna Meares triumphed over her longtime nemesis Victoria Pendleton in the sprint, Shane Perkins outpaced superstar Chris Hoy in the keirin, and Michael Freiberg surprised everyone with his victory in the omnium.
While competing in the final event of day four in Apeldoorn, Kate Bates clinched a silver, finishing second to Dutch sensation Marianne Vos in the non-Olympic 10km scratch race.
With a day remaining, Australia stood at an overwhelmingly strong position on the medal table, boasting six golds, two silvers, and one bronze medal.
Meares initiated this medal campaign by clinching her first sprint title nearly ten years after her initial appearance at the world championships.
She defeated sprint legend Pendleton in the semi-finals with a strategic display in the final race, then overwhelmed Lithuanian Simona Krupeckaite with a decisive 2-0 victory.
Just after achieving this significant milestone, the Athens Olympic gold medallist was filled with emotion, shedding tears of joy.
“I have been in the senior team for 10 years, I have repeatedly bounced back from setbacks, and I finally got it,” said Meares.
Her victory over Pendleton, who had bested her in the sprint final at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, serves as a major psychological uplift for the Australian cyclist ahead of next year’s London Games.
“Victoria Pendleton has dominated this event for a long time and as a five-time sprint world champion, she is undoubtedly one of the greatest female sprinters of all time,” she acknowledged.
“I have the utmost respect for her, that’s for sure.”
Minutes later, Perkins, who had witnessed Meares’s success from the marshalling area, made a bold move between British competitors Matthew Crampton and Hoy during the intense finale of the keirin, earning his first world title.
After being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the men’s sprint earlier this week, Perkins was thrilled to emerge victorious against one of his idols, Hoy.
The 24-year-old father of two felt it was finally his moment to don the world champion’s rainbow jersey.
“For several years, I felt like the odd one out when it came to missing the world titles in the team,” he remarked.
“Now that I’ve finally won one, I was incredibly excited before that final, and the tactics worked out perfectly.”
As if that wasn’t enough, 20-year-old Freiberg capped off the trio of wins for Australia with a determined performance in the kilometre race, the last event in the omnium.
With Freiberg needing to finish in the top nine in the sixth and final race of the competition, the weary young athlete pushed his limits and was elated with his outcome at his first world titles.
Having hovered on the verge of selection for the national team in recent years, he struggled to secure a spot in the formidable pursuit team while searching for an event that suited him.
It’s safe to say he has now found his niche.
by Buford Balony
“To emerge victorious in the world championships against such an incredible field, especially so close to the Olympics… it feels surreal,” he stated.
