TASMANIA'S Amy Cure secured her second medal and Australia's fifth of the 2014 UCI Track World Championship in Colombia yesterday with a bronze in the women's individual pursuit.
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After reaching the podium in the team pursuit on the second night of competition, the 21-year-old West Pine rider lined up against the Ukraine's Ganna Solovei in the bronze medal final of the women's 3000-metre individual pursuit.
A 2013 silver medallist in the event, Cure established an early lead of .77 at the first one-kilometre check, before Solovei fought back in the second kilometre to reduce the deficit to less than two tenths of a second.
An enthralling final kilometre ensued, with Cure upping the ante in the dying stages to cross the line in 3 minutes 36.174 seconds - three tenths of a second ahead of Solovei (3:37.003).
``Obviously I really wanted to get into that gold and silver medal ride, but I am really happy with how I went,'' Cure, the reigning Australian champion, said.
``For the past three to four years I have been four or five seconds off those girls so to sit back and realise I am finally getting close to them is a real positive for me.''
Cure recorded the third fastest time in the afternoon qualifying session (3:30.895), just three tenths of a second out of the ride for gold.
``[In the final] I started off pretty hard, and I knew it was getting close towards the end, so I had to lay it on the line and give it everything at the end.
``I am really happy with my performance and my two bronze medals and will give it everything I have in the points on Saturday.''
Great Britain's Joanna Rowsell (3:30.318) defeated US five-time world champion Sarah Hammer (3:31.535) for her maiden title in the event.
Reigning Olympic and 2011 world champion Anna Meares and fellow South Australian Steph Morton finished seventh and sixth respectively in the women's sprint competition after being beaten at the quarter-final stage.
``Tough day, sometimes you have a bad day, but I can take a lot from this, there a lot of positives that can come out of it,'' Meares, who boasts five career medals in the event at the world level, said.
South Australia's Glenn O'Shea finished in 10th place on 24 points in a thrilling points race won in spectacular style by home-town hero Edwin ?aacÁvila of Colombia.
