Cambridge cyclist Jodie Blackwood was part of the New Zealand team which won silver in the World Junior track cycling championships in China last month.
Cambridge cyclist Jodie Blackwood, centre, flanked by Invercargill’s Caitlin Kelly, left, and Riley Faulkner, right, with their silver medals. Photo: SWPix.
The Year 13 student combined with Invercargill’s Riley Faulkner and Caitlin Kelly broke the New Zealand record in qualifying but lost out to China in the final.
Te Awamutu Sports Club sprinter Alex Schuler continued the record-setting displays recording 10.155s for the flying 200m qualifying, which broke an eight-year old record of 10.223s set by Southland’s Bradly Knipe.
Te Awamutu Sports Club cyclist Alex Schuler shatters the New Zealand 200m sprint record at the junior world championships. Photo: SWPix.
Schuler, who is in Year 13 at Cambridge High School, produced an outstanding effort to pip Czech Republic’s David Peterka in a photo-finish in the first round of match-racing but Great Britain’s Oliver Pettefer edged him out by the narrowest margin in the second round.
“The results at these junior worlds highlight the increase in support and guidance with the Cycling New Zealand-High Performance Sport New Zealand sprint and endurance pathways finding their footing over the past year,” said development coach Fionn Cullinane.
“Across both sprint and endurance, we’ve seen a positive shift towards the podium, and in individual events the gap to the top countries will continue to close with more exposure to international competition like the riders have experienced this week.”
Cambridge cyclist Jodie Blackwood celebrates winning the silver medal at the junior world championships. Photo: SWPix.
