New Zealands red-hot track cycling squad picked up another three medals at the track today.
The mens team pursuiters lost their finals ride to Australia and had to settle for silver, Joanne Kiesanowski grabbed a silver on the line in the womens scratch race and Sam Webster, who has looked sharp all week, beat team-mate Eddie Dawkins to win the bronze medal in the sprint.
To the uninitiated the teams pursuit effort looked a shambles. Sam Bewley had dropped off by the 2.5km point and by the end the other three New Zealand riders were scattered around the track.
But there was a plan. The pursuiters, already assured of silver, decided to ride to a schedule that would win them gold, if they could hang on. So they set out at 2min 55s pace. Bewley did a lot of the donkeywork early, and then fell off the pace.
Jesse Sergent continued to ride exceptionally strongly, but his team-mates, Wesley Gough and Marc Ryan, couldnt stick with him.
The Australian team of Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn, Cameron Meyer and Dale Palmer is a superb combination, but in the final, New Zealand led at the halfway point.
The womens scratch race was fascinating and it looked for a time as if New Zealander Rushlee Buchanan might steal the gold medal.
The New Zealanders rode well for each other, and with five laps to go Buchanan broke clear and all but hung on until the finish.
Finally she was reeled in by Australian Megan Dunn on the final lap. Even into the final bend, Buchanan was still second, but she then got swallowed up by the pack. In the dash to the line Kiesanowski managed to find a good line and grabbed the silver, ahead of Englishwoman Anna Blyth.
Buchanan finished seventh and Gemma Dudley 15th.
The bronze medal ride for the sprint was a happy one with New Zealand, with a medal assured. Dawkins had already won a medal this week, in the 1km time trial, but Webster was too good and won two straight sprints.
The 19-year-old Webster had hinted at his form when matched against the Australian sprint maestro Shane Perkins earlier. He attacked Perkins in their first race and Australian only got him right on the line.
Todays medal haul means the cyclists have now won seven medals in Delhi.
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