The good times got even better for the New Zealand track cycling contingent on the second day of the Commonwealth Games.
After an opening night in which New Zealand won two golds, a silver and a bronze, few would have thought it could get even better the next day.
This time New Zealand won three golds – courtesy of Bryony Botha in the 3000m women’s individual pursuit, Aaron Gate in the 4000m men’s individual pursuit and Ellesse Andrews in the individual sprint, plus a silver medal to Tom Sexton (behind Gate) in the men’s individual pursuit.
No-one would ever get tired of hearing the New Zealand national occasion, and in fact it sounded better each time!
Gate was coming off his gold medal in the team pursuit on the opening day and was utterly dominant in the individual version of the event. Sexton set a personal best and broke the Commonwealth Games record in his qualifying heat in 4min 08.689s but Gate bettered that to be top qualifier in 4min 07.129s, which beat his own national record.
In the final Sexton began at blazing speed and after 1500m of the journey he led by 1.7 seconds.
But Gate never panicked and reeled in his countryman dramatically over the last half of the race, eventually winning by nearly five seconds. His time of 4min 07.760 was fractionally slower than his qualifying ride.
“I could tell by the nervousness in my coach’s voice that he was getting worried and thought I was leaving my run late,” Gate said. “But I’m a finisher, that’s my job out there and I have to play to my strength and hope I can bring it home. I’m just glad it paid off.”
Gate, 31, won an Olympic bronze in the team pursuit way back in 2012 and a world omnium title the following year. He has had a wonderful career, but has never looked better than he has at these Games.
Sexton, who started so bravely, said his legs “died” in the final stages. “I analysed the race beforehand and felt I needed to take advantage of the fact that I start faster than Aaron. I did that, but he finished like a freight train. I’m not disappointed to lose to a rider like Aaron.”
Ellesse Andrews, whose father Jon was also a Commonwealth Games cycling medallist, has been nothing short of sensational at the Games. She was a key member of the women’s team sprint gold medal performance, helped the women’s team pursuit field a team by filling in for the injured Ally Wollaston, and then turned her attention to the women’s individual sprint.
With her strength, speed and tactical acumen she is some sprinter.
In the final, against the Canadian Kelsey Mitchell, the Olympic champion, she won back-to-back races to wrap up the gold medal.
Both times she came over the top round the final bend and into the finishing straight. The first time there was only a tyre width in it, but in the second race she won fairly comfortably.
Andrews, 22, won the silver medal in the Olympic keirin in Tokyo, but seemed to indicate her Commonwealth Games performance here rated just as high. “I’m going to need some time to let what’s happened over the past two days soak in. It’s been amazing. I’m just so glad I came away with the win.”
There were other good New Zealand performances, such as Callum Saunders’ fifth placing in the keirin and Sam Webster’s seventh in the same event.
But on this day the bar for New Zealand cyclists was so high only a medal, preferably gold, got the headlines.