Smith makes it to Games

Press, 18 December 1989, Page 48

Smith makes it to Games

By

MALCOLM CONDIE

Canterbury will have three road riders, and six track riders representing New Zealand in cycling at the Commonwealth Games. The entire cycling team was named after the completion of the national hard track championships.. at the Manukau Velodrome on Saturday evening. On the track there are three r' sprinters, and three pursuit riders from Canterbury. The only addition to the squad, which was named after last season’s track nationals, in Invercargill in February? is JasOn t Smith. ' Smith, who: did not perform as well as he had hoped in the > February nationals, was determined to make the team with a good z performance last week. He was not disappointed and won the individual ' pursuit, beating Gary Anderson, the titleholder, along the way. The win guaranteed him a place in the team. Andrew Whitford is the only rider named in the original squad, who will not ride in tho Games.

There are 14 ‘ members in the track squad, including three women. Madonna Hams has been named for the individual -Spursuit, Sue Golder for the pursuit; and sprint, and Tania Duff for the.sprint only. Harris is also'friding the road .’race. rll 3 Jon - was never in doubt. H,e has now won the national sprinting title four years running William ftastrick was second to'Andrews at the nationals, and deserved zh place. The young Russell Ownstyorth . has the final sprinting berth. yOWnsworth was isecond to And re'ws’ii at the last nationals, beating • Rastrick. This year the pair did not meet in Cr place' on the team will be good for tije other two sprinters and will also give him the experience of international competition. Niger Donnelly, Mark Lucas and Jason Smith are the three Cantabrians in the pursuits. Smith earned his place by peaking in fitness for the nationals. He will save to work

hard to reaeti.that level again for the Games. Lucas and Donnelly rode well enough in other events to keep their places in the team. Neither had good pursuits. Lucas has also been named for the 10 mile race. J • ~ .- " The teams/are:—•' ; f Track.—Men: Individual pursuit, G. Anderson (West Coast), J. Smith (Canterbury), C. CpniieH -(Auckland). Team pursuit, N. Donnelly, M. Lucas (Canterbury), G. Anderson (West Coast), . S.' Williams (Auckland), G. McLeay (Southland). 1000 m time trial: T. Graham (Auckland), G. Anderson (West Coast), J. Andrews s (CanterbuwL/ Sprint, J. Andrews, W. Rastrick, R. Ownsworth (Canterbury); Points race: C. Connell, S. Williams. 15,000 m scratch race: G. Anderson, M. Lucas. Women: Individual pursuit, M. Harris (Waikato), S. Golder (Auckland). Sprint: S. Golder, T. Duff (West Coast, North Island). Road.—Men: B. Fowler, C. Nicholson (Canterbury), I. Richards, G. Miller, S. Imrie, G. Stevens (Auckland). 100 km team time trial team to be named from this team at a later date. Women: M. Harris (Waikato), K. Lynch, S. Matthews (Nelson-Marl-borough), S. Fraser (Canterbury/: