Cycling: Kiwi strikes keirin gold medal

Manawatu sprinter Simon Van Velthooven. Photo / Getty Images

Big Manawatu sprinter Simon Van Velthooven employed a mixture of muscle and might to win the keirin gold medal at track cycling's World Cup meet in Beijing.

Van Velthooven, the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, was in superb form at the Beijing Velodrome, winning his first round, the semifinal and then the final in emphatic fashion last night.

In doing so he disposed of two-time World Cup keirin champion Azizulhasni Awang, of Malaysia, and Australia's Commonwealth Games kilo gold medallist Scott Sunderland in an event where riders haggle for position behind a paced motorbike which gradually increases speed before leaving the track 2-1/2 laps from the finish.

"Simon was untouchable tonight," BikeNZ head coach Tim Carswell said.

"He won the semifinal soft pedalling the whole front straight. And in the final he placed himself perfectly with a lap and a half to go and going through the bell he just unleashed over the top of them all.

"This is just reward for a huge amount of hard work and with a string of fourth placings, it is fantastic to see him take the step up on to the top of the podium."

The win elevated Van Velthooven to second overall in the World Cup standings behind Awang and ahead of Sunderland and Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy.

The 22-year-old is delighted with his success.

"It's been a good build-up. My race head was good today and it was finally good to get a medal at a World Cup and even better to win a gold," Van Velthooven said.

"I've had many keirin finals and it's always been bad luck so to fire up and get it today was relieving more than anything."

Southland 21-year-old Tom Scully finished fourth in the six-discipline omnium while Christchurch's Joanne Kiesanowski is 12th midway through the completion of the women's programme.

Leading results:-

Keirin semifinals: Simon Van Velthooven (NZ) 1, Scott Sunderland (Australia) 2, Hersono Canelon Vera (Venezuela) 3. Semifinal 2: Azizulhasni Awang (Malaysia) 1, Kota Asai (Japan) 2, Sebastian Doehrer (Germany) 3.

Final: Van Velthooven 1, Sunderland 2, Asai 3.

World Cup standings: Awang 20, Van Velthooven 18, Sunderland 16, Sir Chris Hoy (Britain) 12.

Women's sprint, qualifying: Natasha Hansen (NZ) 11.733sec 13. B quarterfinal: Hansen bt Wai Lee (Hong Kong) 12.108sec. B Final: Monique Sullivan (Canada) bt Hansen 12.334sec. Eighth final: Lyubor Shulika (Ukraine) bt Hansen 11.840sec.

Men's omnium final points: day 2:

4000, individual pursuit: Martyn Irvine (IRL) 4:28.747, 1; Sam Harrison (GBR) 4L28.849, 2; Roger Kluge (GER) 4:31.324, 3. Also: Tom Scully (NZL) 4:34.968, 8.

15km scratch race: Michael Freiberg (AUS) 1, Amo Van der Zwet (NED) 2, Unai Zubiaur (ESP) 3. Also: Scully 5.

1000m time trial: Alors Kankovsky (CZE) 1:04.394, 1; Harrison 1:04.494, 2; Kluge 1:04.659, 3. Also: Scully 1:05.905, 5.

Final points: Sam Harrison (Britain) 28, Zach Bell (Canada) 30, Roger Kluge (Germany) 32, Tom Scully (NZ) 43.

- NZPA