Josh Duffy has been handed a chance to take his cycling achievements to the next level.
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A regular winner on the Tasmanian carnivals circuit, the Launceston 19-year-old has since graduated to national and international success.
But he has an opportunity to take another giant leap forward with upcoming engagements in New Zealand and, potentially, Scotland.
Duffy has accepted a position with the Cycling Australia track academy in Adelaide which underpins the national program.
He will get to represent Australia at the Oceania Track Championships in Invercargill, from October 16-19 with the carrot of a potential spot at the subsequent World Cup in Glasgow.
"Oceanias is kind of a trial for me and depending on how that goes I could go to the world cup," Duffy said.
"It would be an awesome opportunity and something I've always strived for.
"It's pretty exciting to be with the Australian team and I'm really looking forward to the chance to pull on the green and gold."
Duffy was going to be on a Tasmanian team at the Oceania titles but Tasmanian Institute of Sport coach Matthew Gilmore said the switch opens doors for the Brisbane-born former St Finn Barr's and St Patrick's College student who has since flown to South Australia to prepare.
"It's a massive opportunity for Josh and one we've been waiting for," he said.
"It really helped having the men's track endurance team here in Launceston in January under head coach Tim Decker, so Josh was able to push his case.
"He has worked so hard so I'm really rapt that this arose for him. It's really good timing for him to be able to develop over the next couple of months. He is far better off being in Adelaide pushing his case."
Duffy has been on the TIS radar for a long time.
A regular member of state junior teams, he has won numerous local road and track events with his breakout victory coming in the 2016 Devonport Wheel.
He has also won at George Town, St Helens and Rosebery before another major wheelrace win in his home town.
From a mark of 120 metres, Duffy took out the 2018 Launceston Wheel by smashing a record time set in 1993 and seeing off scratchmen of the calibre of Kelland O'Brien and Sam Welsford.
The Launceston City Cycling Club member, who started track cycling in 2014, also won a bronze medal in the 1km elite men's time trial at this year's national titles in Brisbane, is the reigning Tasmanian open men's road champion and has recently returned from a successful stint racing in the US.
Duffy expects to take on a hectic schedule including team pursuit, omnium, points race, scratch race and madison in Invercargill and Gilmore said the versatile rider is carving a niche for himself on the track.
"He's developing into a really good team pursuiter," he said. "He's really powerful which was reflected in finishing third in the 1km time trial at nationals."
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