World Champ Gold for Tomic

Western Australian Institute of Sport cyclist Josie Tomic has become the latest WAIS world champion, after the 19 year-old claimed victory in the inaugural women’s omnium event at the UCI Track World Championships in Poland.

The omnium combines a flying 200m, scratch race, pursuit, points race and 500m time trial and works on a points system that awards the most consistent rider over the five events.

Tomic won the omnium at the recent National track Championships in Adelaide and went into the competition with good form, having ridden in the women’s team pursuit for Australia that claimed silver earlier in the meet.

Tomic began her campaign with a personal best effort in the flying 200m, before struggling in the scratch race and pursuit, events she had hoped to excel, which left her in fifth place in the 16 member field, ten points off gold.

Tomic made her crucial move in the evening session however, taking a brilliant win in the points race to haul level with Canada’s Tara Whitten heading into the last event. Tomic placed seventh in the 500m time trial, which was enough to give her a one point advantage over Whitten, with Dutch cyclist Yvonne Hijgenaar earning bronze.

Tomic revealed how demanding the marathon event can be, but was delighted to be returning home as a world champion.

“It’s been a very tough day, a long day and I’m glad to see the end of it really,” said Tomic after receiving the rainbow jersey of World Champion. “I went back to the hotel (in the break after the first three events) and refocussed and then when I came back I was really on a mission and I’m happy I pulled it off.”

“The 500 is definitely not one of my best events but I was actually more concerned about Yvonne because she only had to beat me by five (actually seven) places or more to actually win,” said Tomic who was in the last heat to race. “So when I saw all the other girls putting up really good times I started to get a little nervous but I had a really good start and managed to pull it off.”

Tomic also gained inspiration after witnessing fellow WAIS training partner Cam Meyer collect silver along with Leigh Howard in the men’s Madison event.

“The boys’ definitely inspired me,” said Tomic. “It looked like they were in trouble in the race and then they took a lap.

“Cameron always inspires me whenever I see him race so I was definitely motivated and I wanted to go one better.”

Meyer teamed with Howard after the latter’s regular Madison partner Glenn O’Shea was struck down with chicken pox leaving the duo to quickly devise a strategy for the event.

The pair managed a late assault to lap the field which enabledthem to collect silver.

“It was an interesting race and we knew it was going to be bit different for us because we’d never ridden together and we’re both two different sorts of bike riders,”

explained Meyer. “Early on the sprints didn’t happen for us but we knew we were strong and we’d have a crack eventually and that just happened to come really late in the bike race.”

Earlier in the Championships, Meyer teamed with Rohan Dennis, Jack Bobridge and Leigh Howard to win silver in the men’s team pursuit, narrowly going down to Denmark in the final.

Meyer at 21 was the veteran of the squad with the other three riders all in their teens, and they made Denmark earn their title with a spirited performance. Australia clocked 3:58.863min just behind Denmark, who claimed gold in 3:58.246min.

“I’m very pleased and very proud of the guys tonight,” Meyer said. “We put up a really good fight against the Danes and they were just too strong on the night but we’re a very young team and I think we’ve learned a lot from this year and we’ll come back better and stronger in the next couple of years and come back with a rainbow jersey in the teams pursuit.”

For Meyer the Championships has been one to remember especially as a few days before competition he popped his left shoulder out of it’s socket, something he has done several times before.

“That was scary popping my shoulder out but it’s okay now and I’ve been able to race well over the Championships,” said Meyer. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet that I’ve ridden three events and won three medals but I’ll go home now and show everyone my medals and be really happy about the Championships I’ve had.”

WAIS sprint cyclist Scott Sunderland improved his record in senior competition by posting a fifth place finish in the men’s one kilometre time trial.

“I’m very proud because three places better and 0.3sec faster means the signs are looking good,” said Sunderland. “Also going off our fourth in teams sprint (and tonight’s ride) things are looking good for the sprint tomorrow.

“I was hoping to go a little faster tonight, hopefully in the 1.01’s but it wasn’t to be tonight,” he said. “I lost it in the last lap where I tend to black out, which isn’t very good, but I pushed through it.

“Next year I’ll try and do some more base kilometres,” said Sunderland whose preparation was impacted by a broken collar bone he suffered at the start of the season in August last year. “I had an operation to put six screws in my shoulder so that postponed my preparation and I was starting from scratch at the start of the year so the time I rode tonight, I’m very happy with it.”

Sunderland’s busy schedule caught up with him in the men’s sprint, with Sunderland qualifying 17th before being eliminated by Germany’s Maximilian Levy.

Cycling Australia’s National Performance Director, Shayne Bannan was pleased with Australia’s results after topping the medal tally in Poland, but realistically he suggests there is still much improvement needed before London.

“Australian cycling should be pleased because a lot of work has been done by our development programs led by Gary Sutton and our juniors over the last ten years and what we saw here was really the fruit of that work,” said Bannan. “Plus the ‘old stagers’ like Anna Meares as well so a really fantastic combination of some great emerging talent and some really fantastic experience and leadership in the team.”

“Overall there is still a lot of work to do and we’re not getting carried away because we realise that to be competitive in London we really need to progress each year so that’s the aim,” he explained. “Certainly didn’t expect it (medal haul) and we, like a few of the other top nations, are concentrating on development and the emerging athlete as we lead into London.

“So we’re really pleased with what’s happened here but there’s still a lot of work to do to repeat the results of Athens.”

If team morale is anything to go by however, Australia’s cycling stocks will be in good measure looking forward.

“I think the performances that stand out for me is when we’re sitting as a team at breakfast, lunch and dinner and I hear the enthusiasm and commitment of the athletes, the morale within the team, for me that’s the standout of the Championships.”