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Rising star Cameron Meyer believes he can become a world champion within months and help Australia regain its status as track cycling’s No.1 nation.
The 20-year-old was a rare shining light in a disappointing Beijing Olympics campaign for the Australian track team.
Australia brought home just one silver medal, down from five golds in Athens four years earlier, as Britain took over as the sport’s dominant force.
But Meyer’s fourth placing in the points race stamped him as a serious emerging talent and he believes there are plenty of other well-credentialled youngsters.
“The way we’re going at the junior world championships, we’ve got a lot of young talent coming through,” Meyer said on Wednesday.
“The (London) Olympics is four years away so we’ve got a lot of growing to do as a team and as a nation, but I think we’ve got the riders to grab that No.1 spot back.”
Meyer is aiming to make his own rise to the top at the world championships in Poland next March.
“I’ve been so close, I’ve won world cups, so I know what it’s like to win at that sort of level,” he said.
“Hopefully next year’s my year to take that extra step.”
He will continue his preparations at a world cup meet in Melbourne which runs from Thursday to Saturday, with the points race on Thursday night.
Meyer, who booked a world championships berth with his win at last week’s Oceania championships, will use the Melbourne event to experiment with technique and tactics.
“We’re going to try a few different things now that it’s early on in the season at the world cups, hopefully by the world championships I’m ready to go,” he said.
Britain dominated the first of this season’s world cup meets, in Manchester early this month, taking gold in 14 of 17 events, but are sending a much weaker team to Melbourne.
Australia’s team also has a new look as they rebuild after Beijing, although 26-year-old Kerrie Meares has been given a chance to continue her career rebound.
Meares won gold in both the sprint and 500m time trial at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, but after a back injury the following year has struggled to recapture those heights.
But reuniting with her former coach Peter Day in December last year has boosted her progress.
“I have been able to improve my 200m time by nearly half a second, so it’s pretty significant, I’m really happy with that change,” Meares said.
She said the Melbourne event would help her gauge her improved form against top international competitors.
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