Ulmer pulls out of Games race

A despondent Sarah Ulmer announces she is pulling out of today's time trial. Picture / Brett Phibbs

MELBOURNE - Sarah Ulmer's hopes of a gold medal ride in the individual road time trial were dashed after she had a warm up earlier this morning.

A lower back injury has forced her out of the 29km event in which she would have started among the favourites.

At a hastily called media conference, Ulmer, chasing a third gold medal at successive Commonwealth Games, said she had been having a problem with her back over the past few weeks.

"I am not in any shape to do big kilometres like this, " Ulmer said. "It is nerve compression in my lower back and I can't feel anything in my left leg.

"It is something that I have been troubled with over the years. It first kicked in at the Sydney Olympics."

Ulmer will now turn her attention to Sunday's road race and hopes to be ready for that. She said the position on her road bike is somewhat different to that to which she would have had to ride in the time trial.

"I am absolutely gutted. Everyone comes here to race," she said. "It is heinous, no one likes quitting but that is sport and it is highs and lows."

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Meanwhile, New Zealand's Melissa Holt finished fourth in the race Sarah Ulmer had to miss - the Commonwealth Games women's road time trial at St Kilda today.

Holt became New Zealand's leading hope after Ulmer's late withdrawal.  She timed 39min 02.53sec, crossing the beachside finish line 1min 21.66sec behind Australian winner and world road racing No 1 Oenone Wood.

New Zealand's other entrant, Ali Shanks, was seventh in 40min 17.25sec.

Wood, who won with a time of 37min 40.87sec spearheaded an Australian clean sweep with 41-year-old veteran Kathy Watt taking silver by finishing 15.20sec behind Wood.

Reigning Olympic road race champion Sara Carrigan won bronze in 38min 00.32sec.

Shortly after the women's event, the men's 40km trial was due to start, featuring New Zealand's Peter Latham, Gordon McCauley and Logan Hutchings.

- NZPA