Cycling: Record nearly falls in convincing win

Otago rider Katri Laike came within a whisker of establishing a national record on the opening night of the New Zealand track cycling championships at the Manukau velodrome.

Laike was a convincing winner in the senior women's 500m time trial, clocking 36.692s.

The national mark was set in 1997 by Fiona Ramage, who recorded 36.62s.

As an indicator, the world record, set by Frenchwoman Felicia Ballanger in 1998, is 34.010s while the winning time at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 was 35.084s by Kerrie Meares of Australia.

Laike, as top seed, was last off and had something to spare as she eclipsed the time of the second-to-last rider, Donna Wynd of Auckland, who took second with 37.875s.

Another Auckland rider, Kate Mullarkey, was third in 39.217s.

Defending titleholder Liz Williams of Auckland was not competing as she is recovering from a broken arm.

After a blustery start to the championship, conditions were ideal by the time the women stepped onto their bikes.

New Zealand representative Hayden Godfrey took the first significant men's senior title, the 1000m time trial, although he was well off his national record of 1m 04.822s.

The Canterbury rider clocked 1m 06.823s to finish well ahead of Auckland's Justin Grace, who recorded 1m 08.044s, with another Canterbury rider, Jason Allen, third with 1m 08.689s.

Godfrey, who is off to a World Cup meeting in Mexico this month, won the title in 2002 in 1m 05.820s.

As a comparison with last night's effort, the Olympic record, set in Sydney four years ago by Englishman Jason Queally, is 1m 01.609s.

There were two records in the senior paralympic 1000m time trials.

Whangarei's Fiona Southorn set a world outdoor record of 1m 24.239s.

In the men's race, former international Paul Jesson set a New Zealand record of 1m 31.991s.

The championships continue today with the early rounds of the men's and women's senior individual pursuit and a clutch of junior finals in the evening.

The event finishes on Saturday night.