Cycling: Ulmer peerless in taking gold and world record in pursuit

7.40am - By CHRIS BARCLAY of NZPA

ATHENS - An Olympic medal finally dangling from her neck, New Zealand's Sarah Ulmer was today crowned track cycling's peerless female endurance rider after obliterating her own world record en route to completing a golden individual pursuit treble.

As expected Ulmer provided New Zealand's second triumphant moment at the Athens Olympics, powering to gold with an electric 3min 24.537sec ride to again rewrite the record books at the Olympic Velodrome.

Exhausted, Ulmer, the current Commonwealth and world pursuit champion, hugged her coach and partner Brendan Cameron before embarking on two leisurely laps draped with a New Zealand flag to acknowledge her standing ovation.

Inevitably, a haka by a joyous New Zealand contingent reverberated around the arena as Ulmer prepared to stand atop the dais.

The 28-year-old, in her third Olympics, topped off her elite medal collection in emphatic style, crushing Australian Katie Mactier, a close mate who also had to settle with silver at May's world championships.

Ulmer's crowning achievement represented New Zealand's first Olympic cycling gold medal and is the first earned by the sport since Gary Anderson won the individual pursuit bronze at Barcelona in 1992.

The ultra-focused Ulmer made her Olympic debut four years later in Atlanta, where she finished seventh. Then at Sydney 2000 she was pipped for bronze by a tyre-width by Brit Yvonne McGregor.

Her time, at Olympic level at least, finally arrived on a sweltering Greek afternoon.

She issued an ominous statement yesterday in qualifying -- clocking 3min 26.400sec for the 3000m test of endurance.

That stunning ride eclipsed the 3min 30.604sec she timed at the world championships in May when erasing the four-year-old mark of Dutch legend Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel.

Yet there was more to come 24 hours later.

After a final encouraging pat on the back from Cameron, Ulmer puffed her cheeks and pulled away from the finish line for the first of 12 laps.

Unusually she led Mactier, a notoriously fast starter for the first two circuits. In their previous encounters the Australian was typically two seconds clear at the 1km mark.

"I was nervous she might have got a bit carried away," Cameron admitted.

"I call her schedule but she basically took the reins and went off by herself."

Mactier briefly took the lead but with 1000m to travel, Ulmer was a tick over 2sec clear, giving Cameron another reason to worry.

"I was always a little bit concerned about the last kilo. I kind of thought she'd tie up."

Instead a "fizzing" Ulmer surged further clear to win by almost 3sec.

"I'm stoked. I just can't put it into words -- it's awesome.

"You can't beat hearing your national anthem when you're thousands of miles from home."

Ulmer and Mactier, who rode a personal best of 3min 27.650sec, embraced at the finish line, putting trans-Tasman rivals aside.

"She's a cool competitor and a good mate as well," Ulmer said.

"It's wicked that she's on the dais -- it's always good to beat an Australian but it's cool Katie could be the one in the final."

Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (3min 27.037) won the bronze medal ride off against another Australian Katherine Bates.

"That was the last 3km of my career, now I will make babies, maybe two," the 34-year-old former multiple Olympic and world champion revealed.

Inside Sydney's Dunc Gray Velodrome in 2000 Zijlaard-Van Morsel was untouchable, winning the pursuit and points race with consummate ease.

Ulmer was her semifinal victim, the New Zealander suffering the ignominy of being lapped inside the distance.

Graciously she acknowledged how radically times had changed in the intervening years.

"Sarah is incredible, she is a worthy champion."

Ulmer and Mactier admitted they felt humbled to be on the same dais as an icon of the sport over the last decade.

"Leontien set the benchmark, she's an absolute legend," Ulmer enthused.

"Her times inspired Katie and myself to reach and better her level."

Mactier said that since 2000 the challenge was to get under Zijlaard-Van Moorsel's mark of 3min.30secs.

"Thanks to this girl here , we might need to be under 3.20 in Beijing."

Ulmer would give no assurance she would be around come the 2008 Olympics.

"I haven't thought about ambitions or goals or aspirations for next year. Mate, I've just been thinking about tonight this past year."

- NZPA