20-year-old Australian looks to continue fast rise to the top
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Annette Edmondson was Champion of Champions.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Annette Edmondson flat out in the omnium pursuit(Image credit: Gerry McManus)
Annette Edmondson flat out in the omnium pursuit(Image credit: Gerry McManus)
Australia had to settle for fourth in the women's team pursuit(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
Australia's pursuit team finished out of the medals(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
Australia's Annette Edmondson is focussed on her next event at the Olympic Games, the omnium, having been a part of the team which finished fourth in the team pursuit on Saturday night.
Edmondson finished with a silver medal at the UCI Track World Championships in April behind Great Britain's Laura Trott, where she was competing for the first time.
The Australian trio were understandably shattered following their team pursuit where a strong first half of their ride against the USA in their heat, where they lost despite setting a new national record (3:16.935), appeared fatigue them in their bronze medal ride off against Canada.
Rather than dwell on what might have been, Edmondson had to begin to prepare herself for her next challenge, the omnium, which kicks off on Monday with the flying lap, points race, and elimination..
"I just had a good talk to 'Netty' and she's already on the ball, [warming] down, that's done and dusted, now she's getting ready," women's endurance coach Gary Sutton told AAP following the team pursuit's ride.
Edmondson said she would be using her experience as motivation in the omnium.
"Coming off a second at the world level event, it's motivating to go one better here and it's my third big event so I'm on the way up," she said.
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"Hopefully I can turn the tables around for the girls."
Edmondson made her omnium debut for Australia at the London World Cup event in February after winning the Australian senior championship in the discipline for the second time. Her performance in the London Velodrome earlier in the year came somewhat as a surprise, as she took silver behind then world champion, Sarah Hammer (USA).
"We've identified an omnium rider," Cycling Australia performance director Kevin Tabotta told Cyclingnews. "We knew she had ability but we had to expose her to world class competition. She had an important part to play in the team pursuit as well, so she's done well.
"Three or four months ago we weren't sure what we were going to do with the omnium. But with the young talent, you don't know when it's going to come through. Look at Laura Trott. Six months ago she was a junior, and now she's looking at being in the Olympic medal mix. Youth always brings surprises."
