Kennett wins silver at world champs

Racing for New Zealand Dylan Kennett from the SUBWAY® Pro Cycling won a silver medal in the kilometre time trial event at the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Invercargill tonight.

Kennett was the thirteenth rider to race recording a time 1:02.957 which saw him take the lead by two seconds until being overtaken by Zachary Shaw from Australia who won the Kilo world champion’s rainbow jersey with a time of 1:02.303.

Kennett said he really wanted the world champion’s rainbow jersey and was “gutted” to miss out on it but was still happy to take away a silver medal and was very motivated to improve on his silver with his two remaining events.

Kennett, who won bronze medals in the omnium and team pursuit at last year’s world championships, went into this week’s event with ‘high expectations’ of winning a world title eyeing the kilo and madison events as his best chances. His remaining races are the individual pursuit on Saturday and then madison on the final night of racing on Sunday.

A 16-strong New Zealand team is riding against 154 riders from 24 countries.  The team also includes Subway® Pro Cycling’s Tayla Harrison from Canterbury who is eighth after three omnium events. 

The event marks the second time the world junior championships have been staged in New Zealand, following Wanganui in 1983.

The countries on show include Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Belgium, Argentina, Great Britain, Belarus, New Zealand, France, Russia, Armenia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, USA, Ukraine, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Korea, Netherlands, Mexico, Chile and Czechoslovakia.