Aaron Gate reacts to seeing his name lit up in gold once again. Photo / Photosport
Aaron Gate reacts to seeing his name lit up in gold once again. Photo / Photosport
Aaron Gate came to the Commonwealth Games with one main goal – to win the team pursuit.
On the 30th of July, that goal was accomplished, and the 31-year-old had his first Games gold medal.
It was an accomplishment that on its own would have sent him home happy, butthe ambitious cyclist was hopeful he could be a factor in his races to come, and could build off his first-up performance.
He never expected this.
Nine days later, and Gate has heard the New Zealand anthem played four times – the first time a Kiwi has won four golds at a single Games.
His latest victory was the most incredible of the lot, a stunning victory in the men's road race that even left he, then a three-time gold medalist with plenty of self-belief, struggling to believe what had happened.
"I put my arms up and I didn't really know if it had actually happened," Gate told Sky Sport after beating Daryl Impey in a sprint.
"It was bloody hard work those last three laps and when it came down to the sprint and I had the prime position to run at that line I just couldn't believe it."
Aaron Gate with his fourth gold medal. Photo / Getty
Gate had infiltrated a 15-rider group that proved to be the winning move, with the breakaway, which featured a host of world-class riders who have shone on cycling's World Tour, forming with over 100 kilometres to go.
That part, he explains, had plenty of luck involved.
"It was a hard race to start, the boys were covering all the moves, it just so happened that I was the one that ended up the road.
"We came here with a team that any one of us could have been in a move like that. It was the beauty of our team, we didn't have to go in for anyone personally, we could just race aggressively and help each other out when need be.
"It just so happened it was my opportunity – I couldn't waste it."
If getting in the breakaway had a touch of luck involved, what followed was strength, power and skill.
As the only Kiwi in the leading group, Gate closed down every dangerous move that flew up the road, expending seemingly endless amount of energy to drag back dangerous riders.
"Unfortunately it just being me with 15 riders wasn't a great situation when it came down to that cat and mouse at the end, with three English riders and a couple of really strong South Africans with Daryl Impey and [Morne] van Niekerk. I couldn't let the wrong combination go because I knew that would be the race over.
"Those three laps was where I paid the price of being the only one there."
Aaron Gate celebrates winning gold. Photo / Getty
And to make those painful three laps worse, the last two were even more punishing on the body.
"The last two laps my legs were just constantly cramping every time I got out of the saddle or changed position. I tried to put my foot out to stretch my quad with a few kilometres to go and my hamstring nearly cramped up, so I was on the razor edge of getting to the line."
But, just as he had three times before, when it was time to cross the line, Gate got there first to etch his name into New Zealand Commonwealth Games history.
