Track cyclists shine bright at nationals
Local cycling stars continue to shine with the region adding two national track titles to four national mountainbiking victories.
At the Cycling NZ elite and under-19 track champs in Invercargill last week, Shaane Fulton and Finn Fisher-Black showed their class as they combined for a sevenmedal performance.
As part of the smallest regional team competing at the at the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, Fulton won the NZ U19 sprint title after beating Southland’s Nicole Marshall in a best-of-three final.
She then finished third behind Marshall in the under-19 keirin after winning her heat, while achieving a silver in the 500m time trial as well as in the team sprint with composite team-mate Emily Patterson.
Fisher-Black won the NZ U19 3000m individual pursuit title, beating Canterbury’s Bailey O’Donnell in a time of 3:18.732 and breaking the New Zealand championship record set by Regan Gough in 2014 in the process.
He also came third in the U19 10km scratch race final and second in the men’s open madison with Skoda team-mate O’Donnell.
The latest results extend on a solid few months for both riders, which included medals at the Oceania championships in Novem- ber and Fulton’s junior world championship debut in August.
Fulton was now awaiting confirmation on her participation at this year’s world championships in Switzerland.
Shaane’s mother, Karen, said while her daughter’s four-medal return from Invercargill was one more than the previous year, the results had been short of her usual high standards.
‘‘She was a bit under the weather for the nationals – as great as it is to get that NZ title she was a little bit disappointed with the rest of her racing, she wasn’t quite on her game.
‘‘You have those highs and lows of competition but she wants to press on and get on the podium.’’