Cycling: Dawkins heads strong sprint team

New Zealand track cyclist Eddie Dawkins. Photo / Getty Images

Southland sprinter Eddie Dawkins believes the New Zealand sprint programme has earned respect from the sport's superpowers at the UCI track cycling world championships in Melbourne.

The 22-year-old became the first New Zealander under the 10 second barrier in the men's sprint clocking 9.963s.

His teammates Ethan Mitchell and Sam Webster almost created the biggest of upsets in the first elimination round when both were centimetres from toppling the British superstars Sir Chris Hoy, triple gold medallist in 2008, and Beijing silver medallist Jason Kenny, respectively.

This came the day after teammate Simon van Velthooven won only New Zealand's third medal in a sprint event at the world championships.

Dawkins said he was thrilled with the day for him and the sprint team.

"I was just astounded. I still haven't come to terms with it," Dawkins said. "I looked up at the board and saw Matt Archibald had gone 10.0, the first Kiwi to do that and it fired me up. I just ripped it and I am over the moon.

"I did not know I had it in me. May be my coaches did. In training it has been a little bit slower but on the day it was all about preparation and execution."

Dawkins was the only New Zealander of the four who qualified to progress to the second round but was pipped by Kenny. He missed out on a quarterfinal berth in the repechage to Hoy, who moved into tomorrow's semifinals.

It has been new territory for Dawkins.

"In the past we have qualified quite low and got guys much faster than us. Here, we have been up with them and now we have to learn the art of how to ride the match races.

"They are two different sports. It's like comparing dragsters to rally cars."

Dawkins said he is proud of his sprint teammates, as the five strong group chase three places in the team sprint for London.

"I wouldn't want to be the selectors picking the sprint team to go to the Games. It has been turned on its head this week. We did an amazing time in the team sprint, got our first medal at a world champs with Simon who was unreal, and today three out of four rode personal bests.

"We've come from a national of endurance riders to a nation of sprinters."

Earlier, Mitchell got the crowd pumping when he surprised Hoy with three laps remaining, and it took all of the great man's reserves to haul in the Kiwi 10m from the line.

Webster stood up Kenny by 10m going into the final lap but closed strongly around the final bend, with a photo finish required to separate the pair by the width of a tyre.

"He's the Olympic champion so I had to go out and take it to him," said Mitchell. "I had to show him that I was there to win. It came off pretty well but I tied up in the last 30m and didn't quite have the legs.

Fellow Invercargill rider Matt Archibald also qualified in 10.034s, with he, Mitchell and Dawkins all establishing significant personal best times.