Eight the goal, Tokyo the target

CYCLING Australia has set itself a target of winning eight gold medals at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games but admits it is still playing the long game and will use it as a dress rehearsal for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Australia topped the cycling medal tally with seven gold, nine silver and eight bronze in Glasgow four years ago and wants to better that on home soil starting at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane today.

CA’s high performance director Simon Jones said while medals were the obvious benchmark, he was more concerned with how the team operated behind the scenes as it rebuilt after a disastrous Rio Olympics in 2016.