World Junior Track Cycling Championships - CDM

Australia, August 21-25 2002

Event program and results    Women's 500mm TT

Men's 1km time trial

Cosgrove gives Australia a "bonus" gold

By Karen Forman In Melbourne

Gold for Wade Cosgrove
Photo: © Tom Balks

It was the medal Australia didn't expect to get - the gold in the men's kilo at the 2002 World Junior Track Championships. But when it came on the second night of competition courtesy of 18 year old boy from the bush Wade Cosgrove, it left no doubt in anyone's mind about who was the fastest kilo rider on the track tonight.

Cosgrove, who had slightly disappointed Australian team coaches Gary Sutton and John Beasley with a less than aggressive ride in the keirin the previous night, absolutely flew around the velodrome at Melbourne's Vodafone Arena in 1.04.154 to snatch the gold medal out of the expectant hands of European champion, Francois Pervis of France, who had earlier staked his claim with a 1.04.352. Cuban Ahmed Lopez, making his journey two riders before Cosgrove, had stared the silver in the face with a 1.04.394.

But then entered Cosgrove - a Queenslander from Rockhampton, home of former Olympian Kenrick Tucker, formerly trained by Tucker's dad Ken, currently trained by Queensland coach Peter Day, with tune-ups by Australian national sprint coach John Beasley - to blow them all away.

With Beasley and national junior coach Gary Sutton looking on, wide eyed with surprise and delight, Cosgrove sizzled from start to finish to record the best personal best of his career.

"This is an absolute bonus," Sutton told journalists as Cosgrove limped off the track and onto his rollers. "Beasley is an absolute genius; what he has done with this kid. To see what he has done for these guys . . . it is magnificent."

Sutton admitted a medal in the kilo had not been on the team budget for these championships. "We had only wanted personal bests," he said.

"Obviously we had medal targets, but we hadn't included the kilo. Knowing there was a world record holder in the field and the French are strong in the sprint . . . we just didn't expect it.

"Wade wasn't aggressive enough in the keirin last night, but tonight his top end speed was incredible. Beasley won't be sleeping again tonight."

Cosgrove, who scored his previous personal best in the kilo at the Australian national track championships in Sydney in March - 1.06.08 - was just as surprised. "I was very nervous," he said. "I didn't know what to expect. The guys were doing good times - 1.05s, and I didn't think I had a chance. Then it happened, I became world champion. I didn't expect that I would do a 1.04, but I did."

While at the nationals he started quicker, rode the first two laps very fast and tired towards the end, tonight he was slower in the first 150 metres and came home quicker. "I dunno what it was," he said. "Might have been the atmosphere. I could hear everyone screaming and I thought about it and thought, that's it. And I went."

He said he had been very nervous in the keirin the previous night, which had affected his aggression. As to what the future holds, he is uncertain. "I would like to think senior world championships and riding professionally," he said. "But for now it is day by day."

Photos

• Francois Pervis powers home to a silver medal
• The Smokin' Cuban, Ahmed Lopez
• Lopez powering his way to a third place time of 1.04.394
• Wade Cosgrove controlling his bike with The Force
• Wade Cosgrove took an unexpected gold medal
• Wade Cosgrove flew home in a time of 1.04.154

Results

1 Wade Cosrove (Australia)          1.04.154 (56.115 km/h)
2 Francois Pervis (France)          1.04.352
3 Ahmed Lopez (Cuba)                1.04.394
4 Mickael Murat (France)            1.04.887
5 Dominik Krones (Germany)          1.05.482
6 Fillip Ditzel (Czech Republic)    1.05.824
7 Matthew Haynes (Great Britain)    1.06.062
8 Alex Rasmussen (Denmark)          1.06.122
9 Jeong Wook Choi (Korea)           1.06.413
10 Bradley Norton (Australia)       1.07.120
11 Tsuyosi Hashimoto (Japan)        1.07.159
12 Javier Caballero (Mexico)        1.07.276
13 Dominiek Andries (Belgium)       1.08.015
14 Tim Veldt (Netherlands)          1.08.034
15 Scott Allen (New Zealand)        1.08.303
16 Edwin Van Kerkhof (Netherlands)  1.08.704
17 Rodrigo Barros (Columbia)        1.09.265
18 Carlos Monroy (Columbia)         1.09.307
19 Mohd Rizal Tisin (Malaysia)      1.09.368
20 Hung Wu Po (Taiwan)              1.09.813
21 Andrew Lakatosh (USA)            1.10.351