Five gold medals were up for grabs on day two of the International Cycling Union (UCI) Track World Cup in Cambridge, New Zealand, with yet more success for the home nation.
A packed Avantidrome saw Kiwi Campbell Stewart dominate the omnium, despite being up against a world-class field that included nine-time world champion Cameron Meyer of Australia.
Stewart went hard at the start, but his crucial move came in the penultimate sprint as he out-kicked Meyer and Kazakhstan’s Artyom Zakharov to solidify his advantage.
In addition to two further sprint wins, a second, fifth in the scratch race and the tempo, and a win in the elimination and points races, his results have pushed him to the top of the world rankings.
Stewart finished on 142 points, with Meyer on 133 and Zakharov 129.
“It was just an awesome kind of day,” Stewart said.
“I started off consistent and managed to hold off a fair few attacks from the top riders, chased them down, eventually got the sprints and got there in the end.”
“I knew that I was going to be in front of a home crowd racing and they were awesome tonight.”
That support also inspired New Zealand’s Holly Edmonston, who followed up her win as part of the team pursuit yesterday with a triumph in the scratch race and bronze in the madison, alongside Michaela Drummond and Jessie Hodges.
Edmonston was one of only four riders to lap the field in the scratch final, edging out Olga Zabelinskaya of Uzbekistan in silver and Ireland’s Lydia Gurley in bronze.
“It feels amazing to be up here in front of a home crowd, I can’t believe it,” Edmonston said.
Other winners on the night included Malaysia’s Azizul Awang in the men’s keirin final, pushing Shane Perkins, the Australian now racing for the Russian Federation, into silver, with Australian Matthew Glaetzer in third.
The 2018 world sprint champion, it’s a remarkable story for Glaetzer, who just weeks ago was having surgery for thyroid cancer, with radiotherapy treatment still ongoing.
Russia’s Anastasia Voinova beat off the challenge from 200 metres world record-holder Kelsey Mitchell of Canada to win gold in the women’s sprint final.
In the 30 kilometre women’s madison, Australia’s Georgia Baker and Alex Manly won six of the 12 sprints determined every 10 laps to dominate, with Poland scoring points on all but one sprint to finish second.
New Zealand’s Michaela Drummond and Jessie Hodges delivered a superb finish to claim bronze, despite Drummond falling after a crash.
Tomorrow sees the conclusion of the competition with madison, keirin and sprint finals.
