Cycling: NZ men's pursuit team eliminated

9.30pm

ATHENS - The New Zealand team pursuit quartet were eliminated at the Olympic Velodrome here today, after finishing 10th and last in qualifying.

Hayden Godfrey, Peter Latham, Matthew Randall and Marc Ryan recorded a time of four minutes 10.820 seconds for the 4000m journey, more than 2sec adrift of the eighth and final qualifier for the first round Lithuania (4min 08.812sec).

The New Zealanders shaved 2sec off the time they recorded at the track world championships at Melbourne in May but it was still not enough to claim a place among the elite nations later today.

World champions Australia qualified top with a time of 4min 00.613sec. Great Britain were second (4min 03.985) and Spain third (4min 04.421sec).

- NZPA