Track cycling Games team to be named early

Cycling Australia (CA) will finalise their Olympic track team almost a month ahead of schedule to help the riders with their preparations for the London Games.

While the nominations for the rest of the Australian cycling team will not go to the Australian Olympic Committee until June 22, the track riders are likely to be announced by the end of next week.

The track cyclists are medal contenders in most, if not all, the 10 Olympic events.

They won three gold medals in Olympic events at last month’s Melbourne world championships, where the bulk of the Games team was effectively settled.

“The track world championships (were) the last significant international competition on the calendar that would have had any bearing on our nominations,” a CA spokesperson said.

“So after consultation with the AOC and all those in the shadow squad, the decision was made to bring forward the date for CA to lodge our nominations for the track cyclists for London to the AOC.

“We plan to do that next Wednesday and, pending there being any appeals lodged, the AOC is expected to announce the track cyclists for London by the end of the week.”

Athens gold medallist and Beijing silver medallist Anna Meares will lead the track team of six women and eight men at the Games.

She successfully defended her keirin world title at the Melbourne worlds, as well as combining with Kaarle McCulloch to take silver in the team sprint.

Meares also had a riveting duel with British arch-rival Victoria Pendleton in their sprint semi-final, going down two heats to one and then winning her ride-off for bronze as Pendleton regained the world title.

Meares and McCulloch will fill the two women’s sprint berths.

New team sprint world champions Shane Perkins, Scott Sunderland and Matthew Glaetzer will be the three men’s sprint selections.

Australia can name five men and four women for track endurance and they will contest the team pursuits and omnium, a new Olympic event.

Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn, Rohan Dennis and Glenn O’Shea won silver in the team pursuit behind Great Britain as they continued their long-time rivalry at last month’s worlds.

O’Shea also won the omnium world title, while Alex Edmondson and perhaps Mitch Mulhearn are other potential selections.

Former team pursuiter Cameron Meyer ruled himself out of Games selection and will instead concentrate on his road career.

The women’s track endurance squad is set to feature Josie Tomic, Melissa Hoskins and Annette Edmondson.

They showed impressive improvement to win silver in the teams pursuit at the worlds and Edmondson also continued her outstanding form surge this year by also taking silver in the omnium.

Amy Cure should be the fourth member of the women’s squad.