Jesse Sergent

Jesse Sergent has established himself as one of New Zealand's most acclaimed cyclists on both the track and the road, with two Olympic bronze medals to his name.

Now recognised as a time trial specialist on the roads of Europe, Sergent asserted himself as a strong track cyclist during his days as a junior world champion, going on to become one of the world's best individual pursuiters and a double Olympic bronze medallist in the team pursuit - won in 2008 and 2012.

Born in Feilding in 1988, Sergent proved early on he could mix it with the best, as a member of the gold medal-winning team pursuit at the 2005 junior world championships. The following year, Sergent won bronze in the individual pursuit and silver in the team pursuit at the junior worlds in Belgium.

In 2008, Sergent was part of the New Zealand pursuit team that finished fifth at the world champs. However, the team - Hayden Roulston, Marc Ryan, Sergent and Sam Bewley - had improved significantly by the time the Beijing Olympics rolled around, and they won a breakthrough bronze medal.

In the qualification round, the Kiwis rode 3m 59.277s to place themselves second behind Britain. Almost two seconds faster in the semi-finals, they made the bronze medal ride-off against Australia. The New Zealanders rose to the occasion, recording 3m 57.776s to beat the demoralised Australians by well over a second.

The following year Sergent, Peter Latham, Wes Gough and Ryan picked up a bronze medal in the team pursuit at the 2009 world championships in Poland. Sergent was also fifth in the individual pursuit.

The good times continued in 2010 when Sergent, Bewley, Ryan, Latham and Gough won another team pursuit bronze at the world championship in Copenhagen. At the same meeting Sergent rode brilliantly to earn silver medal in the individual pursuit. He lost the final to American Taylor Phinney, after being fastest among the qualifiers.

Sergent had a busy time in Delhi at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He won a silver medal, along with Latham, Bewley, Ryan and Gough, in the team pursuit, and picked up a second silver in the 4000m individual pursuit. On the road he was ninth in the individual time trial.

In 2011, Sergeant reaffirmed his place among the elite of cycling with a silver medal in the individual pursuit at the world championships in The Netherlands, losing the gold medal race to Australian Jack Bobridge. In the team pursuit, Bewley, Latham, Ryan and Sergent were fourth.

Looking to repeat their heroics from Beijing, the New Zealanders – Bewley, Ryan, Gough, Sergent and Aaron Gate (who replaced Gough after the first ride) - were again third fastest (in a time of 3m 57.607s) in the qualifying round at the 2012 London Olympics, behind Britain and Australia. They went even faster in the match round, their 3m 56.442s again placing them third.

In the bronze-medal race, the New Zealanders were too good for Russia, winning by more than two seconds in 3m 55.952s.

When he isn't winning medals on the track, Sergent has asserted himself as a strong road rider.

In 2008, he had signed with American cyclist Lance Armstrong's under-23 development team, Trek-Livestrong, for two season.

He then spent five seasons in a professional contract with Team Radioshack and Trek Factory Racing, where he became known as a time trial expert. In 2014, he was third in the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland, and second in the Vuelta a Espana.

He donned the black skinsuit for New Zealand again at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he was fifth in the individual time trial, but did not finish the rain-slicked men's road race. 

In 2015, Sergent suffered a horrifying accident, hit by a service car during the Tour of Flanders in Belgium. A broken collarbone required three surgeries and cost him his chance of a first start in the Tour de France.

Having fully recovered, Sergent now rides for the AG2R-La Mondiale professional road team in Europe.