NZ team sprinters finish off podium

For the first time in seven years, New Zealand won’t win a medal in the team sprint at the world track cycling championships.

Having won three gold medals between 2014 and 2017, and also claimed two silver medals and a bronze going back to 2012, New Zealand’s team sprint trio were one of the world’s most consistent.

But in the Netherlands, Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Eddie Dawkins failed to make it to the medal rides while producing a pair of sluggish performances.

In qualifying, the Kiwis could only manage fifth fastest with a time of 43.736 seconds, nearly 1sec back from leaders, the Netherlands. They went slower again in their first round heat, soundly beaten by Great Britain as they crossed the line in 44.146sec.

At the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, New Zealand set their fastest time ever at 42.542sec, and they regularly won titles when clocking in under the 43sec mark.

Their time in the first round was only the sixth fastest.

‘‘The team sprint is brutal and not much has to go wrong from the start for it to snowball and you can get exposed very quickly,’’ New Zealand sprint coach Anthony Peden said.

‘‘Uncharacteristically the boys did not execute a ride close to their capability either individually or collectively.

‘‘There is immense disappointment. They gave it everything but the execution wasn’t there.’’

While the men couldn’t deliver, Natasha Hansen and Emma Cumming delivered a surprise performance to finish fifth in the women’s team sprint.

Having qualified in seventh spot for the women’s team sprint in 33.666sec, the team went faster in their first round match-up with Russia, but their 33.453sec left them outside the medal rides with the fifth fastest time.