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Anna Meares, undoubtedly Australia’s best female track cyclist, added national title No.27 to her already bursting medal cabinet when she won the women’s Keirin on Saturday night.
And the details of the previous 26 are fresh in her mind.
Having won the women’s sprint on Friday, Meares came from behind to produce a thrilling finish in the Keirin, clocking a time of 11.713 seconds to edge out South Australian Stephanie Morton, with West Australian Holly Williams taking bronze.
“I knew I had to just flat foot it and give it everything that I could,” Meares said of her position near the back mid-race.
“I got there in the end, but I was starting to really panic at one stage.”
The panic never showed however, as she breezed through to collect yet another national crown at Sydney’s Dunc Gray Velodrome.
“I’ve got this little medal tally on my computer and when I went home to mum’s last time I brought out all of my medals and wrote everything down,” she said.
“I’ve got all the times, all the numbers from every race.”
Having dominated the sport for many years, the 27-year-old has built up a substantial fan base, many of them young cyclists who aspire to one day achieve her sporting glory.
“I really enjoy it but I find it’s a little weird as well,” Meares said of the attention.
“Because I don’t sort of look at myself in the mirror or see myself walking down the pits going ‘oh my God that’s Anna Meares’.
“But I kind of get the eyes following me through the pits and I realise the position that I’m in and what I can give to these young girls and guys.
“So that in itself is a huge honour and I take it with as much pride as I do wearing the Australian colours.
“If I can inspire one of these young girls to strive for something … I think I’ve done my job.”
Meares will now focus on training ahead of the world cup in Manchester this month and the world championships in the Netherlands in March.
“I’m really pleased to be able to get some quality racing in (before the world cup and world championships).
“I’m really looking forward to the team sprint with (champion partner) Kaarle (McCulloch) … and also in front of a British crowd, it’s probably going to be the most like what (the) London (Olympics) will be like.”
Earlier on Saturday WA’s team pursuit riders, Josephine Tomic, Melissa Hoskins and Isabella King, blazed through in an incredible time of 3 minutes 21.427 seconds to win gold, breaking the Australian record time that won the team of Tomic, Sarah Kent and Ashlee Ankudinoff the world title in Copenhagen last year.
Their time also eclipsed the All Comers record and smashed the Australian championship record.
In the men’s team sprint South Australians Matthew Corrigan-Martella, Matthew Glaetzer and James Glasspool claimed the national crown, ahead of the NSW team of Mitchell Bullen, Peter Lewis and Andrew Taylor while the bronze went to the ACT squad of Alex Bird, Paul Fellows and Gary Ryan.
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