Adelaide cyclist Stephanie Morton claims sprint crown

PARALYMPIC gold medallist Stephanie Morton continued her transition to the single bike by winning her first individual national title on Friday night.

Stephanie Morton

PARALYMPIC gold medallist Stephanie Morton continued her stunning transition to the single bike by winning her first individual national title on Friday night.

The Adelaide 22-year-old won the women's sprint crown in Sydney, boosting her chances for world championship selection in Belarus later this month.

The world's best sprinter - dual Olympic gold medallist Anna Meares - did not ride the national titles but Morton still had to beat her heir apparent, Olympic medallist Kaarle McCulloch.

Morton showed no nerves and plenty of speed to win the final in straight sets and reverse the result of December's Oceania Championships when McCulloch took the honours.

It capped Morton's rapid rise to the top echelon of Australian sprinting after she piloted visually-impaired cyclist Felicity Johnson to a gold medal at the Paralympics last year.

"Coming off the Paralympic program and on to the single bike, I wanted to prove that I wasn't just a tandem rider," Morton said.

Race plans can change and mine kind of worked out, which was unbelievable

"All my coaches and support staff knew I could do it but I still put pressure on myself."

Morton barely stepped off the bike after the London Games, winning gold in the keirin at the Oceania titles and partnering McCulloch to win gold in the team sprint at last week's Mexico world cup.

"I was a little worried after Mexico because I had a lot of travel and racing in my legs," she said.

"But with the Paralympic program I'm used to hard training and backing up so it was a big bonus."

Morton said she was surprised by her victory and didn't know whether it would secure her a ticket to ride at the world titles.

"I knew it was not going to be easy, Kaarle is such an incredible bike rider and is someone I look up to," she said.

"Race plans can change and mine kind of worked out, which was unbelievable.

"I have no idea (about worlds), I'll finish the titles (with last night's keirin) and let my legs do the talking, but it's not my decision," she said.

On a night of upsets, New South Wales rider Mitch Bullen won the men's sprint final by out-smarting London Olympian Matthew Glaetzer in the final.

Bullen made a surprise move on the inside of the track during the second heat and held on in the last 200m to clinch the gold medal.

"Going into the race I had a couple of plans in my head," Bullen said.

"I knew if I got a jump on him, everything might work out. The door was open and I just had to take my chance."