Commonwealth Games 2022: Ellesse Andrews rides to the rescue for Kiwi pursuit team

Ellesse Andrews announced her arrival with silver at the Tokyo Olympics last year. Photo / photosport.nz

By Kris Shannon in Birmingham

Ellesse Andrews has dreams of individual glory at the Commonwealth Games - but first she will be lending a hand to some teammates in need.

The 22-year-old has four sprint events on her schedule at these Games, aiming to build on the stunning silver she claimed in the keirin at last year's Tokyo Olympics.

But Andrews' initial involvement is set to come in an endurance discipline, riding a rescue mission for a New Zealand pursuit team who had been in danger of seeing their Games end before it even began.

After Ally Wollaston fractured her wrist during the Tour de France Femme earlier in the week, the Kiwi team were scrambling to get the required four women to the start line.

Enter Andrews, who competed in the pursuit at junior level and won bronze at a world cup event in 2019 before shifting her focus solely to sprinting.

Answering the SOS call will add to a busy programme for Andrews, given both the team pursuit and team sprint have qualification on Friday night (NZT) and finals on Saturday morning.

But the Christchurch-born cyclist - who will later be competing in the individual sprint, the time trial and keirin - is more than happy to lend a hand.

"The only option for them to start their race was to have four women on the line," Andrews told the Herald. "So that was the best option for our wider team - to put me on the line for that race.

"Obviously my priorities lie with the team sprint, so I'm not doing anything that's going to compromise that or hurt me physically - that being my No 1 priority for the day.

"But of course I'm going to help the endurance girls, I'm just excited that they're actually able to do their race. Even if it's with three people, they can do what they came here to do."

The pursuit team held serious medal hopes before Wollaston's crash and Andrews' involvement should keep alive their chances. Each team's time is clocked on the third rider crossing the line, meaning Andrews will add what she can before turning it over to Bryony Botha, Michaela Drummond and Emily Shearman - and turning her attention to the sprint events.

It was her silver-medal run in the keirin that saw Andrews capture the public's attention in Tokyo, showcasing shrewd tactics and a speed to match the best in the world. She was also unlucky to not advance beyond the last 12 in the individual sprint, confirming a bright future that she could soon realise.

Andrews leads the way during the keirin at the Olympics. Photo. / Getty

"It's obviously a really big career highlight," she said of Tokyo. "Looking back on it is still really crazy and feels quite surreal. But I'm really excited to come to another top-level competition again and show the world what I can do.

"It's always really great to get out there and put my best foot forward and see what I can do. If that lands me on the podium, it lands me on the podium.

"Obviously that's the biggest dream so I'll be doing everything I can to make that happen."

The year since Tokyo hasn't been the easiest ride for Andrews, dealing with a Covid-disrupted schedule and suffering a broken collarbone and her first concussion after a crash in December.

But she came back strong following an eight-week layoff, winning two events at the Oceania championships in April before picking up a pair of medals at this month's UCI Nations Cup in Colombia.

"Colombia was definitely a big booster, it was so much fun to get out there," Andrews said. "That was one of our first international competitions so it was cool to line up against some really speedy girls and get some good results."

Her form suggests that will again be the likely outcome in the next week, with the team sprint her first real focus. She will be joined in that event by Rebecca Petch, who raced in the BMX at Tokyo, and Andrews has been impressed by her teammate's transition to the track.

"She's a very talented athlete and we've really enjoyed having her come on board," she said. "Just watching her progress over the last few months has been pretty special, so I think it's going to be a really big day for us girls - with Olivia King as well - to line up and see what we can do as a team."

Listen to live wall-to-wall commentary on GOLD SPORT from 7pm each night with commentators Jason Pine, Elliott Smith, Malcolm Jordan, Andrew Alderson and Nick Bewley plus regular updates on Newstalk ZB.

And download our daily Commonwealth Games podcast the Birmingham Bulletin.