20 November 2007 By Graham Croker
Selection in the Australian team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is now a definite possibility for Sydney University Sport Scholarship holder Kaarle McCulloch following her double gold effort at the 2007 Oceania Cycling Championships held at Invercargill’s ILT Velodrome.
McCulloch, and education and human movement student, won her first gold medal in Open company when she took out the Elite Women’s Keirin on the second night of competition.
In an all-Australia finish, McCulloch relegated Elizabeth Georgouras to silver and Annette Edmonson to bronze.
She backed that up on the last night of competition with a gold medal in the Elite Women’s 500m Time Trial. McCulloch set a track record of 34.840sec to win gold, easily eclipsing the 36.256sec held by Kiwi Jos Rastrick.
McCulloch also won a bronze medal in the women’s sprint which also featured an all-Australian finish. Olympic and multiple world champion Anna Meares won the event in two straight rides from her sister Kerrie. Third place went to McCulloch, who beat New Zealand’s Natasha Hansen.
“I rode a fast time and new personal best of 11.692sec, which I thought would qualify me for the World Championships,” McCulloch said of the women’s sprint.
“Unfortunately there have been changes to the World’s qualifying time standard and it is now 11.6sec or better so I have a whole season to take .092sec off my PB. Because the track was cold, time was taken off to compensate, and I was 0.005sec off the mark!”
But it is the Keirin gold that will always be etched in her memory. “In the final I snagged the motorbike and was ready to challenge anyone who dared try to come around,” she said. “As the motor bike swung off I saw a Kiwi rider try and take a flyer, so I slowly raised the pace. Coming into one-and-a-quarter laps to go I saw someone kick so I just buried the head and went for it.
“As I came into the home straight I looked under my shoulder and realized I had my first senior gold medal and title. I was happier, however, with my last lap time of 11.9sec. I struggled last year to qualify under 12sec and now I’m riding rounds in sub-12sec.”
McCulloch had a very busy program over the four days of competition, competing in heats and semi-finals at almost every morning and evening session.
She also teamed with Kerrie Meares in the Team Sprint, but they were relegated in the semi-final when Meares veered off the sprinter’s lane.
Having competed successfully at her first Open championships, McCulloch now has her sights on the World Championships and the Olympic Games.