Cycling: Dawkins claims first NZ medal

Eddie Dawkins. Photo / Getty Images

NEW DELHI - New Zealand has claimed its first medal of the Commonwealth Games after track cyclist Eddie Dawkins charged to bronze in the men's time trial today.

A visibly disappointed Dawkins was expected to challenge for gold but he couldn't match the speed of Australian arch rival Scott Sunderland, while Malaysian Mohd Rizal Tisin pipped Dawkins in claiming the silver.

Dawkins' time of 1min 2.777sec was nearly 1.5sec slower than his time when finishing fifth at this year's world championships in Copenhagen. That time would have been enough to win today.

Instead, Sunderland's 1:01.411 was comfortably enough to register a Games record.

Dawkins grimaced throughout his four-lap effort and appeared to clip a small advertising sign on the final turn for home. It is unclear whether that slowed him enough to deny him silver, with Tisin just 0.09sec ahead.

The New Zealand surprise package was Auckland 20-year-old Myron Simpson, who led throughout most of the event in a time of 1:03.449, which was only eclipsed by the final three riders.

Veteran Marc Ryan was seventh in 1:04.521.

Meanwhile, Alison Shanks finished just over a second outside a medal when placing sixth in the 500m time trial today.

Even though the event is regarded as a warmup for her specialist individual pursuit, Shanks went close to snatching a medal although she was nowhere near evergreen winner Anna Meares as Australia completed a dominant quinella.

Meares went well under her Games record in clocking 33.758 seconds, more than 1sec clear of rising compatriot Kaarle McCulloch. Becky James of Wales was third in 35.236sec, which was 1.329sec ahead of Shanks.

The New Zealander clocked 36.565sec over the two laps, prompting a smile and waves to supporters. Her time was the quickest in the field at that point although there were still six of the 12 riders to compete at that stage.

Shanks, who was seventh in the Melbourne Games time trial four years ago, has her prime medal chance in Friday's individual pursuit.

Earlier, New Zealand's Jesse Sergent qualified for the individual pursuit final but will have his work cut out winning gold against flying Australian Jack Bobridge.

World championship silver medallist Sergent and the man he beat into bronze Bobridge will square off in what shapes as a world class final later today.

Bobridge will take a decisive mental edge into the showdown after clocking the quickest time in qualifying, a blistering four minutes 14.845 seconds. The Games record time was the fourth fastest in history and nearly 2sec quicker than Sergent's very impressive 4min 16.751sec.

The small crowd at the Indira Ghandi Sports Complex witnessed a highly competitive trans-Tasman showdown.

The two nations will also square off for the bronze medal, with New Zealand's Sam Bewley fourth-quickest courtesy of a 4min 19.612 time, which was just 0.139 slower than Australian Michael Hepburn. New Zealand's Peter Latham was fifth-fastest, although he was nearly 6sec behind Bewley.

Feilding road professional Sergent, 22, set out hard in the final qualifying race to go under Bobridge's time. He was quicker through the first 2000m of the 4000m event but couldn't maintain that rate to the end.

- NZPA