Cycling: National record smashed

The New Zealand men's pursuit team smashed the national record during a special attempt on the sixth and final day of the national track cycling championships in Invercargill last night.

The team is in build-up mode for the world championships in Poland at the end of the month, and were given the Invercargill track to themselves to lower the record, which stood at 4m 8.890s.

They went well under in a time of 3m 59.593s, just two seconds off the best time they managed at last year's Beijing Olympics where they won bronze. National records must be set in New Zealand.

"It's two weeks out from the world champs and we wanted to go fast tonight, we wanted to go sub four minutes. We've had a heavy last few days of individual racing and training, so to actually go out and do it is great," team member Pete Latham said.

Latham was the reserve rider in Beijing last year and wasn't awarded the bronze. However, at the time he was coming back from a broken back suffered in a race in France, and feels he is now in top shape to contribute to the New Zealand team's shot at world championship gold.

Latham was joined in the New Zealand team last night by Wes Gough, Sam Bewley and New Zealand individual pursuit champion Jesse Sergent.

The men's pursuit team weren't the only ones in record-breaking form last night, with Canterbury's Natasha Hansen breaking the New Zealand flying 200m record.

The New Zealand team for the world championships will be named today.

- NZPA