Cycling: Two medals for Kiwis at track meet

Shane Archbold in action in the omnium at the Oceania track cycling championships in Invercargill.

Shane Archbold and Lauren Ellis claimed medals on the second day of the International Track Cycling Series in Adelaide last night but it was a day when the Australians fought back.

The home team shut the New Zealanders off the podium in the highly-contested sprints and Archbold had to be content with second in the omnium on countback and Ellis took bronze in the women's omnium.

The five-day UCI tier one competition in Adelaide is important because it carries qualifying points for upcoming World Cup events, which in turn qualify riders and teams for the world championships.

Archbold, who is competing on the road this year with UCI Pro Continental team An Post Sean Kelly in Europe, had a slender two-point lead over Australian Olympic gold medallist Alexander Edmondson after the first day.

The pair could barely be separated on the second day as they contested the 4000m individual pursuit, 10km scratch race and 1000m time trial and actually finished on the same points, however, Edmondson was given the top honours on countback.

Australian Isabella King dominated the women's omnium competition, finishing on only seven points, 11 points ahead of China's Xiaojuan Diao on 18. Ellis was third on 21 points with fellow Kiwi Jaime Nielsen fifth on 25.

Hamilton's Nielsen won the individual pursuit and was second in the 500m time trial.

Olympic sprint medallist Shane Perkins (AUS) edged Matt Archibald and Eddie Dawkins in qualifying for the sprint in 10.155s in a chilly Adelaide Super-Drome and was then unmatched in the elimination series, accounting for compatriot Peter Lewis in two straight rides in the final.

Archibald (Invercargill) was the best of the Kiwis, accounting for China's Wang Shengwei and Australians Jacob Schmid and Mitchell Bullen before he was beaten by Lewis 2-0 in the semifinal and to Nathan Hart in the ride-off for bronze.

Dawkins (Invercargill), who won the keirin on the first day, finished fifth when he won the ride-off for the minor placings after losing to Perkins in a closely-fought quarter-final. Ethan Mitchell lost to Lewis, also in the quarter-finals.

Dunedin's Katie Schofield missed out in the repechage for a place in the quarter-finals in the women's sprint.

The five-day competition reverts back to sprints and keirin competition in two sessions today.