Aussie joins cycling greats with fifth Games gold

By Roger Vaughan

Georgia Baker has joined a select club in Australian cycling, winning her fifth Commonwealth Games gold medal.

Baker joins sprinters Anna Meares and Matt Glaetzer and pursuit specialist Brad McGee on five gold medals after capping faultless teamwork to claim the scratch race win.

After three golds at the Birmingham Games and the team pursuit win in Glasgow, Baker can add to her haul in the women’s points and elimination events over the last two days at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

The men’s and women’s track endurance squads set aside setbacks in Glasgow on Saturday morning (AEST) to win gold.

Soon after Baker’s win, Oli Bleddyn beat compatriot Conor Leahy to take the men’s 4000m individual pursuit.

Blake Agnoletto capped the night by winning gold in the men’s elimination race – Australia’s third gold after also claiming three on day one at the track.

James Moriarty made it an Australian sweep when he beat Matthew Bostock, from the Isle Of Man, in the bronze medal ride-off.

For the men, it was an impressive rally after the disappointment of losing to England on day one in the ‘Ashes’ final of the team pursuit.

Australia’s women had a frustrating and confusing start to day two when Felicity Wilson-Haffenden was disqualified from her individual pursuit bronze medal ride because of shoulder strapping.

While Sophie Edwards was also disqualified because of too much padding in her helmet, it was the Wilson-Haffenden ruling that concerned the Australians.

Not only did it deny their rider a shot at another medal after the women had won team pursuit gold, but team management said there was no explanation from the race judges.

Edwards and Claudia Marcks rode brilliantly in the scratch race for Baker. After Marcks gave the leadout with two laps left, Baker held off hard-charging rivals for a convincing win.

Bleddyn beat Leahy, his fellow Paris Olympics team pursuit gold medallist, by nearly four seconds. It is the first time he has beaten him in the individual pursuit.

Adding lustre to his bragging rights, Bleddyn’s time of four minutes 3.898 seconds is a Games record and also took Leahy’s national record.

The last rider on every second lap dropped out in the elimination race. After teammate Tom Cornish was eliminated, that left Agnoletto among six riders left.

England’s Henry Hobbs took the bronze medal then Agnoletto launched a long-range flyer to beat Scotland’s Mark Stewart, who had done a power of work at the front of the race.

Malaysian great Aziz Awang, who has strong Australian connections, denied Australia in the men’s keirin final.

Australia had half the field – Leigh Hoffman, Tayte Ryan and Danny Barber – in the final.

But Awang, a multiple keirin medallist at the Olympics and world championships, timed his run perfectly to win.

He crossed the line with a wheelie as Hoffman took the silver medal.

Also on day two, Australian Gordon Allan was runner-up in the C2-C3 1km time trial.