Nicole Murray in action during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in August 2021. Photo / OIS/Thomas Lovelock
Nicole Murray in action during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in August 2021. Photo / OIS/Thomas Lovelock
The track racing at the Oceania Cycling Championships in Brisbane finished on April 5 with all five of the Kiwi Para cyclists delivering stellar performances.
Paralympian No 222 Nicole Murray, originally from Ngāhinapōuri, won gold in both the Women's C5 500m Time Trial and 3000m Individual Pursuit.
Just last yearMurray distinguished herself at her Paralympic Games debut in Tokyo 2020 in these same events, with a personal best time for the Women's C4-5 500m Time Trial Final and a fourth place finish in the Women's C5 3000m Individual Pursuit.
Eighteen-year-old Devon Briggs won four gold medals while Paralympian Sarah Ellington, 19-year-old Connor Douglas and 16-year-old Ben Westenber all took home medals as well.
"These five Para athletes have had a fantastic few days of racing here in Brisbane. Our Tokyo Paralympians Nicole and Sarah have started their road to Paris 2024 with some fantastic performances at the Anna Meares Velodrome and they will continue that on the roads in and around Brisbane this coming weekend in the Oceania Road Championships," says coach Damian Wiseman.
"It is their first international competition since the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and it is great to see them step back onto the podium.
"The three development Para athletes have now had their first taste of international racing and I am sure they will be travelling home excited to get started preparing for their next opportunity with everything they have learned here in Brisbane.
"We're seeing the next generation of Para cyclists show us just what kind of mark they will make on the international scene."
