Cycling: Ulmer and men's pursuit team win golds

11.30pm UPDATE

SYDNEY - New Zealand defeated current Olympic champions Germany to win gold in the team pursuit final of the track cycling World Cup at the Dunc Gray velodrome this evening.

New Zealand, missing key riders Greg Henderson and Hayden Roulston, qualified first and eclipsed their preliminary time with a flawless ride to win by 4-1/2 seconds in four minutes 10.307sec.

Lee Vertongen, Heath Blackgrove, Hayden Godfrey and Marc Ryan led from the opening lap of the 4km, 16-lap circuit although they held less than a second advantage at the halfway mark.

However, the New Zealanders powered away in the second half of the race to win comfortably.

Vertongen was the only rider with significant experience in the quartet, indicating a promising future for the endurance squad.

New Zealand had already qualified for the world championships in Germany in July-August before the final.

New Zealand earlier qualified fastest in 4min 11.831sec.

Australia (4min 12.540sec) won the bronze medal over Denmark (4min 17.875sec).

Also this evening, Commonwealth champion and hot favourite Sarah Ulmer cruised to victory in the women's 3km individual pursuit, adding a gold to the bronze she claimed in the scratch race last night.

Former world road time trial champion Diana Ziliute made a flying start and held an early 1.25sec advantage but Ulmer overhauled the Lithuanian with four laps remaining.

Ulmer, who headed qualifying with a ride of 3min 35.423sec, could afford to relax posting a winning time of 3min 39.523sec.

Ziliute recorded 3min 41.638sec.

Ulmer won the corresponding event here 10 months ago before clinching her second Commonwealth title in Manchester.

The golds were New Zealand's second and third, following Henderson's victory in the men's scratch race last night.


- NZPA