LAUNCESTON cyclist Georgia Baker claimed a bronze medal in the women’s omnium and teamed up with Devonport’s Macey Stewart to win silver in the madison as the national track championships wrapped up in Melbourne at the weekend.
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The former junior world champion was part of the all-Tasmania senior team pursuit quarter with Stewart, Amy Cure and Lauren Perry that won gold at the national titles earlier in the year.
She clinched bronze in the omnium on Friday night after lapping the field in the final event of the night.
Baker finished third behind Sydney’s Ashlee Ankudinoff, who claimed her third omnium national title in a dominant display of endurance.
After six rounds, Ankudinoff finished the event with 231 points, 36 points ahead of silver medallist Kimberley Wells (ACT).
In a show of strength, Ankudinoff lapped the field in the points race to consolidate her victory.
Wells surprised her rivals by winning the time trial before recording a blistering points race to earn her first national track medal.
In the men’s omnium, dual reigning world champion South Australian Alex Edmondson defended his national title ahead of omnium world champion Glenn O’Shea (SA) and Miles Scotson (SA).
Baker and triple-reigning world champion TIS teammate Stewart had a battle royal in the women’s madison on Saturday with defending champions Annette Edmondson and Jessica Mundy.
The SA pair were dominant from the gun, setting a blistering pace and winning three of the five intermediate sprints.
‘‘The win last year was so special and to share a podium together, that was definitely a highlight of my year,’’ said Edmondson, who together with Mundy was awarded the inaugural Australian women’s madison title in 2014.
‘‘A few things didn’t go quite to plan, but we managed to make the most of it and we are quite pleased,’’ said Edmondson, who was forced to withdraw from defending her omnium national title earlier in the week after a bout of food poisoning.
Baker was pleased to win her second medal of the championships in two days.
‘‘I had a good omnium nationals, I got bronze, so to come away with a silver today is really exciting for me,’’ she said.
‘‘Also to race at a venue like Hisense Arena is just crazy and the crowd is really cool – I had so much adrenalin.
‘‘The plan was obviously to concentrate on the points out there and if we had an opportunity to try to get in a breakaway or try to take a lap.
‘‘I found a couple of opportunities but the SA team are pretty good.’’
Omnium national champion Ankudinoff and Imogen Talbot (NSW) won bronze.
The New South Wales pairing of Jackson Law and Nick Yallouris upstaged some of the biggest names in world cycling, clinching the men’s madison national title ahead of world record-holder Jack Bobridge (SA) and omnium world champion O’Shea (SA).
Launceston’s James Robinson was unlucky to miss out on a medal in the under-19 men’s omnium.
SA’s Rohan Wright rode to the green and gold jersey after a close battle with Robinson early in the event.
Wright took the lead off Robinson after he claimed round four’s time trial, adding to his victory in the flying lap and individual pursuit before riding a tactical points race to consolidate his victory.
Alex Rendell (WA) was the big mover, riding himself into silver medal contention while Cameron Scott (NSW) moved down to bronze.
In the UCI Cat 1 sprint events, fans were treated to Australia’s best sprinters in action with a powerful performance from Matthew Glaetzer (SA) seeing him winning both the sprint and keirin UCI Category One events.
Anna Meares (SA) wowed the crowd in the sprint ahead of Rikkie Belder (SA), while it was a role reversal in the keirin with a photo finish awarding young gun Belder the win.
In the 117th Austral Wheelrace, Zach Williams (NZL) took the men’s event while Brooke Tucker (QLD) claimed the women’s.