New Zealand cyclist Aaron Gate will miss the remainder of the Tokyo Olympics.
Gate has been ruled out of his remaining events at the Olympic velodrome after suffering a fractured collarbone.
Photo: AFP
The 30-year-old crashed heavily when the New Zealand men s pursuit team was leading Australia in the bronze medal race.
He was taken to hospital for testing and treatment but is now back in the Olympic cycling village in Izu. Just incredibly disappointing really, more so for my teammates than myself because everyone s put so much into this performance here and we re such a strong team that to end like that wasn t great, Gate said.
New Zealand were leading Australia and looked on track to secure the country’s first medal in track cycling’s blue riband event since winning a bronze in London in 2012. But the crash happened at the worst possible time. Regan Gough had just done his second pull at the front and was about to exit the race. When Gate hit the deck, Gough was unable to get back on the wheel of Kerby and Campbell Stewart and was eventually lapped with 500m to go, ending the race and handing Australia the win. “It was a pretty gutting experience and not what we came here to do,” Gate said.
George Bennett celebrates after winning the men s road race at the national championships in Cambridge.
George Bennett wondered if he would ever get to wear the national jersey on the WorldTour after a decade of near-misses at the New Zealand championships. But the Jumbo-Visma star wasn’t going to die wondering during the elite men’s road race in Cambridge on Sunday, after bridging the gap to the leading group.
JOHN COWPLAND/PHOTOSPORT
George Bennett is congratulated by his partner Caitlin Fielder on the finish line. Spurred on by the lure of the silver fern, Bennett made multiple attacks before finally dropping a group of three riders with eight kilometres to go.
Stuff Sports
13 February, 2021, 6:40 am
Finn Fisher-Black went quicker than the elite men s riders over the 44km course in Cambridge (File photo).
Jumbo-Visma development rider Finn Fisher-Black produced the fastest ride of the day to win the under-23 men’s time trial at the New Zealand championships in Cambridge on Friday.
He was even quicker than elite men’s winner, Tokyo-bound track cyclist Aaron Gate, who hung on to edge a fast-finishing Jumbo-Visma star George Bennett by just 0.7 seconds over the rolling 44 kilometre course.
The 19-year-old Fisher-Black highlighted his enormous potential by posting a time of 54 min 7.54 sec, which was 9.22 seconds faster than Gate over the same course.