Silver medallists Rebecca Petch, Shaane Fulton and Ellesse Andrews of Team New Zealand pose on the podium holding the flag during the Women’s Team Sprint medal. Photo / Getty Images
Silver medallists Rebecca Petch, Shaane Fulton and Ellesse Andrews of Team New Zealand pose on the podium holding the flag during the Women’s Team Sprint medal. Photo / Getty Images
A world record and a silver medal, not a bad start at the velodrome for the New Zealand track cycling team at the Paris Olympics.
Ellesse Andrews, Shaane Fulton and Rebecca Petch were superb in the women’s team sprint event, setting the second-fastest time in qualifying before breaking the world record to book a spot in the gold-medal ride.
They just didn’t have enough to deny Great Britain, who broke the world record in all three rides this morning including the final, beating the New Zealand trio by just 0.473s.
For Andrews, who broke her collarbone in a crash in February, it’s her second Olympic medal in what could be part of a decent haul in Paris as she appears a chance in the keirin and the women’s sprint events.
Fulton’s Olympic medal comes in her debut at the games. Olivia Podmore, her teammate, mentor and best friend, died in a suspected suicide in 2021 after the Tokyo Olympics.
Asked by Sky Sport if they had a fourth rider with them out there today, Fulton said: “Absolutely always. So special to have her in my heart. And I know she’s here with so many people right now.”
Silver medallists Rebecca Petch, Shaane Fulton and Ellesse Andrews of Team New Zealand pose on the podium holding the flag during the Women’s Team Sprint medal presentation. Photo / Getty Images
Talking to the Herald, Fulton said it was a relaxing day as they were ready for the fight on the track.
“I think that on reflection, like we’ve just known that this has been a project for years and it’s just been such a battle to get here and it all came down to today. And I think we’ve just been gearing up for this and we woke up pretty relaxing, content in the best way and ready to take on this fight. We stepped out there and did our best and [it was the] first time breaking a world record for us and it got broken again, but that was really special.
“And now we’ve got an Olympic silver medal,” she added.
Petch competed at the last Olympics in BMX, this time she has taken a silver on the track.
“Absolutely amazing. The journey to here has been insane just to put it down on the day is so special,” she told Sky Sport.
In the heats, New Zealand laid down their intent early with a time of 45.593s, second behind Great Britain. That set up a first-round ride with Poland - win and they were riding for a medal. With Germany having just broken Great Britain’s earlier world record, the New Zealand trio broke it again to guarantee a ride for the gold. Great Britain then went one better in their first-round ride to set up a final match-up with the Kiwis.
New Zealand had the better start in the gold-medal ride, leading after 250m with Petch going out fast, before Great Britain finished the stronger with Emma Finucane taking them home to a third straight world record time.
“I think this whole experience has been amazing this first day at the games and it’s quite overwhelming, I feel to have this medal around our neck and I think we just need a little bit of time to, to really process what we’ve done today,” Andrews told the Herald. “But it’s incredible.”
Hear it as it happens with live commentary of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on GOLD SPORT & iHeartRadio, plus comprehensive coverage on Newstalk ZB.
