Inspirational performance by New Zealand Para-Cyclists in Mexico

The New Zealand Para-Cycling team wrapped up the last two days of the UCI Track World Championships with further outstanding performances and winning a total of five medals.  The athletes were pushed to the limit not only racing at altitude, but with Velodrome temperatures tipping 40 degrees. 

Day 3 (13 April NZ Time) saw two Kiwi athletes compete, Fiona Southorn and Kate Horan. Both were competing in the Women’s Individual Pursuit; Fiona in the C5 and Kate in the C4. Both riders qualified for Bronze Medal rides however both finished 4th in their respective races.

The final and fourth day of competition (14 April NZ Time) was all about the tandems.  Emma Foy/Laura Fairweather and Phillipa Gray/Kylie Young competed in the 250m Sprint. This is a non-Paralympic Event however valuable UCI Points are on offer which contribute to athlete slots for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Gray/Young were first up and although putting up a satisfactory time did not make the top 8 and a ¼ final berth.  In contrast Foy/Fairweather finished 4th in the qualification round and earned themselves an opportunity to make the semi-finals later in the day.

The Foy/Fairweather tandem pairing came up against the Japanese pairing in the ¼ final. This is a best of three series and although the Kiwi girls won the first heat they were beaten in the sprint in the second heat. The decider was a close event however New Zealand had too much power and were to go into the semi final against the favoured British tandem. The British tandem beat the Kiwi girls in the first two heats so we were up against the Dutch girls for the bronze medal ride off. However after the Dutch tandem team slammed the Australians into the fence at high speed they were disqualified leaving Foy/Fairweather to take the bronze.

New Zealand’s medal tally:
Foy/Fairweather 1 Gold & 1 Bronze
Gray/Young  1 Silver & 1 Bronze
Kate Horan  1 Silver


Further details can be found at the event website - http://www.uci.ch/templates/UCI/UCI5/layout.asp?MenuId=MTU3ODU&LangId=1