Cycling: Harrison in contact

New Zealand's Tayla Harrison has improved his chances in the men's omnium this afternoon with a fourth in the individual pursuit at the junior track cycling world championships in Invercargill.

The 18-year-old Cantabrian posted a time of 3:24.122 over the 3000m distance to improve to a share of sixth, with the scratch race and kilo time trial remaining tonight.

Harrison was eighth in the standings overnight, from a field of 16 riders, following a fourth placing in the 250m flying lap, a disappointing points race, and a mid-table finish in the elimination race late last night.

Leading the men's omnium is Fernando Gaviria Rendon (COL), followed by Tirian McManus (AUS) and Jon Dibben (GBR) in third.

Southland's Tom Beadle progressed through to tonight's quarter-finals in the men's sprint after beating New Zealand teammate Zach Williams from Auckland by a nose in the one-on-one second-round clash.

Beadle, part of the Oceania team pursuit winning combination, is proving his talent in the sprint division having recently switched his focus from the endurance ranks.

All three Kiwi riders in Beadle, Williams and Southland's Jeremy Presbury set personal best times in qualifying around the super-fast Stadium Southland Velodrome.

The women's six-leg omnium got underway this afternoon with Auckland's Racquel Sheath finishing sixth in the flying lap. World champion Taylah Harrison (AUS) continued her domination of the championships with a win in the first omnium event.

Results from qualifying on day three of the juniors track cycling world championships in Invercargill today:

Men's sprint qualifiers: Jacob Schmid (AUS) 10.447, 1; Santiago Ramirez Morales (COL) 10.526, 2; Jakub Vyvoda (CZE) 10.540, 3; Zachary Shaw (AUS) 10.564, 4; Zac Williams (NZL) 10.588, 5; Alexander Sharapov (RUS) 10.615, 6; Emerson Harwood (AUS) 10.628, 7; Tom Beadle (NZL) 10.694, 8; Joakim Albert (CAN) 10.694, 9; Matthew Rotherham (GBR) 10.712, 10; Vladislav Fedin (RUS) 10.739, 11; David Sojka (CZE) 10.764, 12; Jeremy Presbury (NZL) 10.787, 13; Emmanuel Mejia (MEX) 10.793, 14; Eric Johnstone (CAN) 10.934, 15; Conor Klupar (USA) 10.962, 16; Alexey Lysenko (RUS) 10.965, 17; Oliver Valensuela (MEX) 10.992, 18; Kaleb Kock (USA) 11.014, 19; Artsiom Zaitsau (BLR) 11.017, 20; Renzo Amoroso (ARG) 11.020, 21; Vladislav Novik (BLR) 11.072, 22; Ryosuke Saeki (JPN) 11.088, 23; Malek McCrone (MAS) 11.111, 24.

Round 1: Schmid bt McCrone, Ramirez Morales bt Saeki, Vyvoda vt Novik, Shaw bt Amoroso, Williams bt Zaitsau, Sharapov bt Koch, Harwood bt Valenzuela, Beadle bt Lysenko, Albert bt Klupar, Rotherham bt Johnstone, Fedin bt Mejia, Sojka bt Presbury.

Round 2: Schmid bt Sojka, Morales bt Fedin, Vyvoda bt Rotherham, Shaw bt Albert, Beadle bt Williams, Harwood bt Sharapov.

Repechage (winner to quarter-finals): heat 1: Sharapov 1, Sojka 2, Albert 3. Heat 2: Rotherham 1, Fedin 2, Williams 3.