Sara hails spirited youth

OLYMPIC champion Sara Carrigan sees Matt Glaetzer and Stephanie Morton as the clear leaders of Australia’s new cycling era but, with an eye to Tokyo 2020, says the “mongrel” shown by the next generation is most pleasing.

Gold Coast-based Carrigan won gold in the 2004 road race and has helped design the road course for April’s Commonwealth Games.

She has also been named co-mayor of the Commonwealth

Games Village alongside former swimmer and three-time Olympic medalwinner Mark Stockwell.

Australian cycling is in the midst of change given the recent departure of chief executive Nick Green and new direction of high performance chief Simon Jones.

Carrigan is slightly miffed that Jones has shifted the bulk of the program’s energies to the track, with a goal to win four cycling gold at Tokyo’s 2020 Olympics and rebound from a Rio Games that netted just one silver and one bronze.

But Carrigan sees the logic and, after watching the national titles earlier this month, sees the potential.

“If it’s anything to go by then we’re in for a treat at the Commonwealth Games,” she said.

“Glaetzer was so fast and, you don’t like to compare, but Steph Morton has definitely stepped up after Anna Meares’ retirement.

“Road racing is my passion and somewhere we’ve had lots of success, but I understand (the shift) with the amount of medals on offer on the track and it is a lot more pot luck on the road.”

Glaetzer and Morton won seven national titles between them at the Anna Meares Velodrome but it was the gutsy efforts by the under-19s that really buoyed Carrigan.

“You can lead from the top but it’s important to have it from both ends,” she said. “And I’ve got goosebumps now thinking about how much talent we have coming through.

“You had riders falling then getting up to win a medal and showing that resilience. They showed a bit of tenacity and the good kind of mongrel, the fighting spirit.

“We need to keep bringing it through because (that mongrel) it is harder and harder to find.”

Australia’s Commonwealth Games team is likely to be announced this month.

I’VE GOT GOOSEBUMPS NOW THINKING ABOUT HOW MUCH TALENT WE HAVE COMING THROUGH. THEY SHOWED A BIT OF TENACITY AND THE GOOD KIND OF MONGREL, THE FIGHTING SPIRIT. OLYMPIC CHAMPION SARA CARRIGAN