Wells writes that "Kathy Watt's request to ride in the 3,000 metre individual pursuit on the track at the Atlanta Olympics has been granted by the Australian Cycling Federation. Its decision yesterday ends a potentially disruptive disagreement between Watt and the national track coach, Charlie Walsh, over whether Watt should ride on the track at the Games."
"The two had a falling out at the Barcelona Olympics over the amount of support given to Watt in the track event. Walsh feels she should specialise on the road. Watt, the defending Olympic road race champion, will now compete in the road race over 104km, the 26km individual road time trial, and the pursuit on the track. The time trial is a new event, and in Barcelona she rode in only two races for a gold in the road race, over 81km, and a silver in the pursuit."
Wells continues that "Watt has maintained the events are well enough spaced in Atlanta to give her sufficient recovery time. The road race is on July 21, the four rounds of the pursuit between July 25-28, and the time trial on August 3. Watt has been named in the road and track squads after winning the national time trial, finishing second in the road race last week, and winning the pursuit at the national track titles in Perth in March."
"The alternative to Watt for the pursuit would have been former American Lucy Tyler-Sharman. Watt rode the pursuit faster in Perth than she did in Barcelona, and her time of 3min 38s was the second fastest ever at sea level. She caught Tyler-Sharman, who had suffered an asthma attack. Tyler-Sharman has been set to ride the points score race in Atlanta."