Youngsters take on the world
Three Manawatu cyclists have been named in the New Zealand team going to the UCI Junior World Track Championships in Shenyang, China in August.
Palmerston North’s Emily Shearman will be going to her second event after being part of the team that went to Switzerland last year, but it will a first for Libby Arbuckle from Palmerston North and Thomas Garbett from Levin.
Manawatu has had a rider in the team for the past four years years in Kate Stewart (2014), Jordan Castle (2014), Campbell Stewart (2015 and 2016), Michaela Drummond (2015 and 2016) and Shearman (2016).
Former Olympic cyclists Jesse Sergent went in 2005 and 2006 and Simon van Velthooven went in 2006. Shearman was part of the silver-medal winning team pursuit team last year, as were Ellesse Andrews (Cambridge), Nicole Shields (Clyde) and Kate Smith (Christchurch) who are all back again.
Arbuckle, who had an outstanding
national championships, is likely to join them in the team pursuit, which will be a targeted event for the New Zealand team, having won silver last year and gold the year before.
Double sprint medallist Andrews has moved to the endurance programme.
Garbett, who is now living and going to school in Cambridge so he can be near the national highperformance centre, is a sprinter.
Christchurch’s Josh Scott returns from the world recordsetting men’s team pursuit and is joined by Corbin Strong (Invercargill), Matthew Trenchard (Christchurch), Harry Waine and Aaron Wyllie (both Auckland).
First-year under-19 sprinters Garbett and Shaane Fulton (Nelson) will be joined by Cambridge rider Jackson Ogle. who set records in the sprint and 1000m time trial at the recent national championships.
‘‘We are very excited to work with the talent that we have selected for the junior world track cycling championship,’’ New Zealand coach Jon Andrews said. ’’We have a sound development programme for the junior track team and a clear philosophy which we are working to.
‘‘Our focus is on developing the skill and knowledge of our junior rider.
‘‘We want to provide them with opportunities that allow them to grow as people and athletes.
‘‘We want to encourage them to have fun and develop a real passion for what they are doing to keep them in the sport for the long term and hopefully for bigger and better competitions.
‘‘We believe this philosophy is one of the reasons why the New Zealand junior track programme has been so successful in recent years.’’
There are 13 riders in the team, with five returning from last year’s successful campaign.