Olympic champion Anna Meares takes out women’s sprint at national track cycling titles

OLYMPIC champion Anna Meares says she has not faced this level of internal competition for 10 years after an emotional victory in the women’s sprint at the national titles in Adelaide on Friday night.

05/02/16 - Anna Meares competing at the Track Cycling National Titles at the Adelaide Super-Drome. Photo Tom Huntley

OLYMPIC champion Anna Meares says she has not faced this level of internal competition for 10 years after an emotional victory in the women’s sprint at the national titles in Adelaide on Friday night.

Meares, 32, ended speculation over whether she would make Australia’s team for next month’s track cycling world championships in London and went a long way towards shoring up her spot for Rio in August with straight sets wins over her two major rivals Kaarle McCulloch and Stephanie Morton.

All three are also national teammates by are vying for only two spots in the team sprint for the two major international meets.

She beat her London Olympic teammate McCulloch in the semi-final and 2014 Commonwealth Games conqueror Morton in the final with four smart and strong rides.

Already managing a back injury over summer, Meares last night revealed she also suffered a quad strain on Friday and rode the team sprint at nationals on Wednesday with it strapped.

On Thursday night she qualified third fastest behind Morton and McCulloch which put even more pressure on her shoulders, but the two-time Olympic gold medallist responded in the only way she knows - by winning, just like in London in 2012 and Paris at last year’s world titles.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve had pressure of this depth for a very long time, not since the days of (sister) Kerrie and Rosalee Hubbard (in 2004-05) ... this is probably the deepest we’ve gone in women’s sprinting,” Meares said.

“In one way I feel really proud of it and in another way, it’s checking me.

Anna Meares competing on Friday night.

“It’s real pressure, with all due respect to all the women in the field, there are three very strong contenders in myself, Steph and Kaarle of which all three can ride in different positions in the team sprint, and all are capable in the sprint and keirin.

“I’m my own worst critic and sometimes it can compound the pressure and expectation and I do my best to not focus on it.”

Meares conceded she has had to fight off thoughts of possibly not being selected for the world championships or Olympics - as inconceivable as that may seem to most cycling observers.

“It’s hard not to (think about it), I’m very aware (of the situation), but I’m trying to focus on myself and what I can do and how I can keep the positive self talk there, and it’s hard,” she said.

“A lot of people have the perception that because it’s been done by myself so many times before, it’s expected and the norm, but it’s really difficult.

“I just wanted to get through the semi, that’s all I wanted tonight, and I felt like rode well and gave myself some confidence and just wanted to lay some hard races on the line for Steph because I know she’s been in great form - 10.9 in qualifying and the first woman to go sub 11 at the national championships she’s going better and better.

“All things considered I was very, very proud of that ride - of all four rides tonight. I was prepared to go to three for all of them and ride hard and I’m happy with where my headspace was.”

Despite the quad strain Meares confirmed she will start the women’s keirin - of which she is the reigning world champion - at the SuperDrome tonight.

Morton was given a licence by national coach Gary West to train through this week’s championships after already booking her ticket to the world titles in London.

She said she was pleased with qualifying but would have liked more in the final.

“They were really hard races and I was happy with qualifying yesterday but once you get to the sprint rounds it all goes out the window and comes down to racing, Anna rode two really strong races,” Morton said.

“I did the best that I could with the form I had today but she’s a classy rider and got over the top of me.

“I’ve been given the okay to train through this week so I still had other things I wanted to work on and racing is the best place to practice those, but I go out I still want to win no matter what’s going on and Anna rode really strong and hats off to her.”

The win was Meares’ 35th career Australian title which goes with her 11 world championships two Olympic gold medals.

Originally published as Olympic champion Anna Meares takes out women’s sprint at national track cycling titles