10 Australians selected for Junior Track Worlds in Colombia

AusCycling has selected 10 riders to represent Australia at the 2023 UCI Junior Track World Championships this August.

Liliya Tatarinoff and Tayte Ryan, who are the reigning sprint and time trial national champions, will contest the sprint events in Cali, Colombia.

For the endurance program, the women’s squad comprises Lauren Bates, Sally Carter, Nicole Duncan, Felicity Wilson-Haffenden and Keira Will. This quintet won the team pursuit at the Oceania Track Cycling Championships last month, setting a national record.

The men’s endurance trio of Noah Blannin, Samuel McKee and dual track national champion Wil Holmes complete the squad and will focus on the bunch and individual races.

Alongside pathways projects such as next month’s under-17 track camp in Malaysia, these world championships expose young Australian riders to international racing for the first time, said Donna Rae-Szalinski, AusCycling’s Director of Pathways and convenor of the selection panel.

“It’s a vital part of our pathway objectives in providing athletes with an international experience,” Rae-Szalinski said.

“This is very much about education, about the lifestyle, about seeing what it’s like to compete on an international level. It also allows them to benchmark their personal performance and gauge their trajectory.

“We also want the riders to be the best they can be on the day. They’ve been selected because they’ve met the performance standards, which are about selecting athletes who are medal contenders.”

The team was chosen in accordance with AusCycling’s selection policies, taking into account published criteria that includes minimum performance standards.

The UCI Junior Track World Championships is the premier track event for cyclists in the under-19 category; that is, born in 2005 and 2006. Last year, Australia won three medals, including gold in the junior men’s team sprint.

The championships will be held at the Velódromo Alcides Nieto Patiño in Cali, Colombia from August 23–27.

Australian Cycling Team for 2023 UCI Junior Track World Championships

Women’s Sprint

• Liliya Tatarinoff (Central Coast CC, NSW)

Men’s Sprint

• Tayte Ryan (Port Adelaide CC, SA)

Women’s Endurance

• Lauren Bates (Canberra CC, ACT)
• Sally Carter (X-Speed Australia CC, WA)
• Nicole Duncan (Central Coast CC, NSW)
• Felicity Wilson-Haffenden (Hobart Wheelers Dirt Devils, TAS)
• Keira Will (Lidcombe Auburn CC, NSW)

Men’s Endurance

• Noah Blannin (Gold Coast CC, QLD)
• Samuel McKee (Launceston City CC, TAS)
• Wil Holmes (Norwood CC, SA)

Photos: Gilad Kavalerchik