New Zealand's elite track riders made a record-setting start to the Oceania Championships in Brisbane.
New Zealand cyclist Ellesse Andrews ready for action in the women's sprint Photo: Michael Shippley/AusCycling
Olympic medal-winning cyclist Ellesse Andrews became the first New Zealand rider in two decades to claim the Oceania women's sprint title, while Bryony Botha continued her record-setting spree in winning the 3000m individual pursuit.
The opening day's programme wound up with a win for Aaron Gate in the 40km points race, while earlier Ally Wollaston scored a win in the scratch race.
Andrews clocked 10.737s to top qualifiers in the sprint competition, just 0.16s outside the national record she set at the Olympics.
She went on to dominate the match-racing component, beating Australian Kristina Clonan in two straight rides in the final, after beating teammate Olivia King by the same margin in the semifinal.
King, in her first elite international competition, finished fourth after being edged by Australian Breanna Hargrave 2-1 in the battle for bronze.
Botha edged her own national record in the 3000m individual pursuit set at the recent New Zealand Championships to a new mark of 3:19.634, which is also a new Oceania record.
She is the third fastest female in the world after current world record-holder Chloe Dygert (USA) and 2021 world champion Lisa Brennauer (GER).
Botha said she hopes to compete in the individual pursuit at the upcoming Milton Nations Cup in Canada, and if selected, the individual pursuit at the Commonwealth Games and the world championships.
Gate made a sensational return to the track, after arriving back from Europe where he has been based since the Olympics, having initially flown there for surgery on his shoulder after his crash during the team pursuit.
The 31-year-old produced a complete master class in the 160-lap race, which offers sprint points every 10 laps.
Working with his New Zealand teammates, Gate lapped the field four times before halfway, going on to put six laps on the field for 120 bonus points as well as pick up 40 sprint points.
He finished with 160 points in a New Zealand blackout of the podium with Tom Sexton second on 96, and George Jackson third on 69.
"I went in unknown. I've not touched a track bike in quite a while. The game-plan was not to do too much for the first 40 laps, but the legs got a bit itchy and before I knew it I had taken a lap," Gate said.
Cambridge rider Ally Wollaston, the national criterium champion, bided her time to use her telling-sprint to good effect to claim the sprint race win ahead of Australia's Chloe Moran with teammate Ella Wyllie and Rylee McMullen third and fourth respectively
Earlier Jackson rode with speed and smarts to finish second in the elimination race.
After some strong efforts from Sam Dakin and Sam Webster, finishing first and third respectively in the keirin semifinal, it was Australian Matthew Glaetzer who claimed the final with the New Zealand pair unable to challenge.
In junior racing, the highlight came late in the night with Lewis Johnston and Edward Pawson riding impressively to finish first and second respectively in the points race.
New Zealand's Roman Shearing finished second in the final of the keirin with end second in the 30-lap scratch race, while in Para-cycling action, New Zealand's Devin Briggs (MC4) won his category in the 15km scratch race, with Ben Westenberg and Connor Douglas second and third respectively in MC5.
