Paris Olympics 2024: Aaron Gate and Ellesse Andrews lead New Zealand cycling team

NZ Herald

22 May, 2024 01:30 AM4 mins to read

Aaron Gate celebrates after winning the points race at the world championships in Glasgow. Photo / Getty Images

Two current world champions will headline a powerful 16-strong track and road cycling team representing New Zealand at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Reigning sportsman of the year Aaron Gate is heading to his fourth Olympics and leading an endurance quartet with World Tour rider Campbell Stewart, Tom Sexton and Keegan Hornblow.

They are currently ranked second in the team pursuit and first in the two-rider Madison on the UCI Olympic rankings, while Gate is fourth in the omnium. The 33-year-old earned his world champion rainbow stripes in the points race, which is the core discipline in the multi-event Olympic omnium.

“It is unfinished business after Tokyo and the disappointment there,” said Gate, who crashed as his team raced for bronze in the pursuit in Tokyo.

“In terms of expectations, I am putting a lot on myself for this one. It is a surreal opportunity to get my fourth Olympics and so it is not one that I am going to take lightly.”

Another strong medal hope for Paris, Ellesse Andrews is the current world champion and ranked second in the keirin. Ranked fourth in individual sprint, Andrews joins Rebecca Petch and Shaane Fulton in a developing team sprint combination currently ranked seventh.

The women’s endurance quartet comprises Bryony Botha, Ally Wollaston, Nicole Shields and Emily Shearman. They are ranked first in the team pursuit, having this year set a new national record, along with second in the Madison and third in the omnium.

“The women’s endurance track group has been developing splendidly since Tokyo and is probably the deepest in terms of talent that we have ever produced,” said Cycling New Zealand high performance director Ryan Hollows. “Coach Paul Manning has allowed this group to take the lead on how they operate and they have formed a closely knit and hard-working combination.”

Sam Dakin is the sole male sprinter, coming off a best year in which he reached seventh in the keirin rankings.

On the road, the four-strong team are all Europe-based World Tour professionals: Niamh Fisher-Black (Team SD Worx), Kim Cadzow (EF Education), Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) and Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech).

Fisher-Black, 23, has four professional wins and this year won stages in the Tour de Suisse and Valenciana, along with finishing seventh in the Vuelta España.

Cadzow, 22, has three wins in her career, claiming the national championship time trial in 2024 and placing second in the road race. She also finished sixth in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege monument and was in the top 10 at the Vuelta.

Pithie, 21, has turned heads on the World Tour with an early-season win at the Cadel Evans Ocean Race, two podiums in Paris-Nice, and a standout seventh in the famed Paris-Roubaix.

Strong, 24, is a former world champion on the track who has two professional victories on the road and this year was second in a stage of Tour Downunder and Tour of Finisterre.

“New Zealand is fortunate to have some superb young road riders who have been producing outstanding results on the World Tour,” Hollows said. “With teams reduced to four riders in Paris, this could make for a very different race and arguably present New Zealand with a rare opportunity to make its presence felt.

“Overall we believe this is amongst our strongest track and road teams, and accordingly the depth of talent has meant it has been a challenging job for our selectors.”