Golden day on track

IT was a golden day for Australian cycling with both Cameron Meyer ( pictured) and Jordan Kerby taking out wins at the world track championships at the Hong Kong Velodrome.

Kerby won the men’s individual pursuit on Friday, beating defending champion Filippo Gana of Italy by more than four seconds in the final with Kelland O’Brien finishing third.

The individual pursuit gold is Kerby’s first world title and he won the event just hours after notching the third-fastest time in history in the afternoon’s qualifying ride.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d wear a senior rainbow jersey,” Kerby said before revealing he never thought he would be at the worlds in the first place and that he made the switch to the track due to his road career winding down.

“If you spoke to me three or four months ago, I wouldn’t even think to be here in the first place,” he said. Meyer won the men’s point race earlier, finishing with 76 points to claim victory ahead of Belgium’s Kenny De Ketele and Poland’s Wojciech Pszczolarski.

The success is Meyer’s fourth world title in the points race after wins in 2009, 2010 and 2012 — and takes his world championship gold medal tally to eight. Meyer is looking for more gold later in the event though.

“I’ve been away from the track for a long time, and to come back and win with the guys in the team pursuit is special, and then to win an individual in one of my favourite races makes it a great championship for me,” Meyer said. “Hopefully, I’ve got one more in me in the madison.”