New Zealand have won the elite men's team sprint title, beating Australia on the opening night of the Oceania Track Cycling Championships in Invercargill.
The 2014 world championship winning New Zealand combination, featuring local rider Eddie Dawkins along with Sam Webster and Ethan Mitchell, won the race in a time of 43.810 seconds. They beat the Australian combination of Patrick Constable, Matthew Glaetzer and Jacob Schmid who finished with a time of 44.376s.
The performance in the final was an improvement on the Kiwi team's previous ride on day one.
Dawkins said: "It was much better than our first ride, in the first ride we were a bit scratchy, and we didn't really execute anything properly, it was like we were riding together for the first time, but in the final it felt smooth. We were a lot more technically sound and it showed in our performance.
"It actually felt easier to ride tonight than it did this morning."
The result gives the New Zealanders a boost heading to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
"It gives us good standing on where we are compared with Australia who are a big competitor of ours and it is good to get one-up on them, it is good doing it in front of a home crowd and it gives us a good idea of how we are going, heading into the World Cups," Dawkins said.
"We have been in the top two over the last three years, we have been the fastest team at the last two world championships, minus a technicality, so we are in good stead leading into the Olympics, I think."
Dawkins has a rest day on Friday before participating in the men's sprint and keirin over the weekend.
"I've got a day off tomorrow which will be good, which is funny so early in the competition, but on Saturday I have got the sprints and I finish the championships up with the keirin on Sunday."
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The next event for the victorious men's sprint team is the 2015 World Cup event in Cali, Colombia in three weeks.
"That is the next exciting team trip away for us, it will be cool to see how we are going against the rest of the world, not just against our neighbours from across the ditch," Dawkins said.
Meanwhile, Australian cycling star Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch won the women's team sprint with an impressive 33.297s ride over New Zealand riders Katie Schofield and Natasha Hansen.
McCulloch then backed up her strong women's team sprint performance by winning the women's 500m time trial ahead of Schofield and Hansen.
It was a New Zealand threepeat in the elite men's 1000m time trial with Zac Williams claiming the gold medal with a ride of 1:01.655 from Simon van Velthooven, while Jeremy Presbury was third.
There were some good performances from Kiwis in the under-19 events with Emma Cumming and Ellesse Andrews combining to win the women's team sprint in 35.838s, while the Bradly Knipe, Hamish Beadle and Jackson Ogle won the men's team sprint in 47.473s.
Connor Brown beat Joshua Scott to win the under-19 3000m individual pursuit in an all-New Zealand final, while local rider Thomas Sexton leads the under-19 omnium after three events, after winning both the individual pursuit and elimination disciplines.
The Australian under-19 women dominated the time trial - winning all three top positions with Tahlay Christie, Georgia Quick and Chelsea Oaten taking the medals.
The New Zealand elite team pursuit riders tasted double success, with both men's and women's teams beating their Australian rivals.
The men's team of Aaron Gate, Hayden Roulston, Luke Mudgway and Nick Kergozou won in 4:02.663, while the women's team of Holly Edmondston, Kirstie James, Alysha Keith and Elizabeth Steel took the honours in 4:26.868.
Australia's Lauren Perry was too strong for New Zealand's Sophie Williamson and Alysha Keith, taking gold in the women's scratch race, while kiwi Luke Mudgway claimed the gold medal in the men's scratch race.
In the under-19 women's scratch race, New Zealand rider Ellesse Andrews just beat local rider Emma Cumming to take first place.
The Oceania championships finish on Sunday at the SIT Velodrome in Invercargill.
Source : http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/72845034/new-zealand-win-mens-team-sprint-at-oceania-track-cycling-championships.html
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