Cycling: Upset shanks vows to stick to her passion

Cycling star Alison Shanks got the bad news she had been expecting yesterday.

A text message from a friend alerted her to the depressing reality.

Resigned, she checked the internet, hoping against hope but knowing the outcome would provide little relief. The 26-year-old world champion's dream of standing on the dais with a gold medal draped around her neck was crushed with confirmation the International Olympic Committee had decided to cut the individual pursuit from the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The men's and women's points races and men's madison were also scotched.

Hollow and despondent, Shanks said she was determined to stick with the event she described as her passion.

"Obviously, I'm pretty devastated by the news," she said. "I guess we knew the decision was coming but to hear it was official was pretty gut-wrenching.

"Life throws some curve balls at you sometimes but you just have to deal with the situation you've been given, really."

The move had been well signposted with the International Cycling Union indicating its preference for change. At last year's Beijing Olympics, cycling had seven track events for men and just three for women. The new schedule has been designed to address the imbalance.

"It is a shame that they have got rid of such a pure event. When you think about the Olympic motto of faster, higher and stronger, I think the individual pursuit represents that.

"But I'm going to stick with individual pursuit. When you look at the big picture, we've still got three world championships before the Olympics even roll around as well as the Commonwealth Games next year.

"So there is still plenty to aspire to ... It is still my passion but once London rolls around a bit closer, my focus will switch to the team pursuit."

The former Otago Rebel and New Zealand A netballer recorded a personal best time of 3m 29.807s, beating Beijing Olympics silver medallist Wendy Houvenaghel, to win the world 3000m individual pursuit crown in Poland in March. The next day she was back on her bike, winning silver with the New Zealand women's pursuit team.

The women's team pursuit has been added to the Olympic programme and the prospect of winning a team medal has lessened the sting.

The new track programme includes individual sprints, team sprint, keirin and the five-race omnium event.

New Zealand has a proud record in the individual pursuit at the Olympics. Gary Anderson won bronze in Barcelona in 1992, Sarah Ulmer won gold in Athens in 2004 and Hayden Roulston claimed silver in Beijing.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES