When Keira Will stepped into a post-race interview after clinching silver at the UCI Track World Cup in Perth, she described it as her ’‘first’ World Cup medal…but she was wrong.

 It was actually her second.

“Normally I’m very good at giving interviews,” she laughed. “But in that interview, I kind of freaked out a little bit and I was stumbling over my words, so I just said that.”

“I saw that as a headline somewhere and I was like ‘Oh, that was my bad!’”

The brief slip was understandable. At just 20 years old, Will has packed a remarkable number of races, podiums and milestones into the opening months of 2026 – enough to briefly lose track herself.

In the first three months of the year, the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder has won seven medals across road and track competitions.

That haul includes three gold and one bronze at the Oceania Track Championships in New Zealand, a gold, silver, and bronze at the ProVelo Super League in Victoria, and most recently her World Cup podium.

Will explained that while she hadn’t expected such a strong start to the season, the results have not come without chaos.

“I’ve definitely been pleasantly surprised by my results,” Will said. “Obviously as you get older you try to keep getting better, and I think I have been, but it’s always good to see the results reflect that work.”

“It has been chaotic at times – there’s been a lot of travel, and I haven’t been home much. I think I’m used to it by now and I’m pretty good at handling it, but it definitely does add another element of stress.”         

“I think I had not even 48 hours in Melbourne, including a 160km race. There’s a lot going on, but you just have to stay on top of it and make sure you stay calm, do all the little things right.”

Her latest result came at the UCI Track World Cup in Perth, where she claimed silver in the Women’s Madison alongside Alyssa Polites. While it wasn’t technically her first World Cup medal, it was her first in a bunch race – the fast, tactical discipline Will believes best reflects her racing identity.

“I like to think of myself as a bunch racer,” she said bunch racing that sees riders start together and battle for points across multiple sprints, unlike timed events such as the team pursuit.

“It was the highest I’ve finished in a World Cup, so it was really exciting.”

“We went in with high hopes for the race, but we were still a bit unsure. There weren’t many teams there, so we were definitely aiming for the podium, but anything can happen in a race.”

“I didn’t really have as good legs as I was hoping for, but I think we both did well to do the processes properly and do the little things right, and that was what managed to get us onto the podium.”

The result is the latest step in Will’s rapidly accelerating career. Just three years ago she announced herself on the international stage with four medals at the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.

In 2024, she was crowned national champion in the elite women’s Madison alongside Keely Bennett and made her senior World Championship debut, recording top-10 and top-20 finishes.

Her progression continued in 2025, when Will won the Under-23 Australian National Criterium title and claimed silver in the Open Women’s race.

Despite the rapid progression, Will said the pace of competition means there is rarely time to reflect on how quickly things have moved.

“I think you always get distracted with the next goal,” she said.

“Even when I went to the Commonwealth Youth Games, it was an incredible experience, but we had Junior World Championships starting two or three weeks afterwards. So as much as you try to celebrate that win, you also had to stay in competitive mode to be ready for the next race.”

“You’re always looking forward to something and setting yourself new goals, which helps you keep progressing forward, but it is definitely important that you take time to celebrate and enjoy the things that you’ve achieved.”

Will’s introduction to cycling came early at just three years old. Her parents had taken up the sport when she and her brother were young, and a weekly club race at Lidcombe-Auburn Cycling Club soon turned into a junior event for the children trying to keep themselves occupied on the sidelines.

“There’s photos of me on the start line, and it’s probably the most serious I’ve ever looked on a start line – I have an absolute game face on, just locked in at like three or four years old,” she said.

“We started probably racing one lap of the velodrome and gradually got more and more into it. I went to state championships when I was five for the first time, and then I was going to nationals and so forth. Since then, I’ve just always been striving for the next thing.”

As well as enjoying the social side to one of the oldest cycling clubs in New South Wales, Will said she quickly became drawn to the strategic side of the sport.

“I really enjoy that cycling is strategic and tactical – I think I’m really good at that side of I,” she said. “I really enjoy analysing what I and other people do, and trying new things.”

“I’ve also just generally always liked sport, pushing my body, and seeing what I can do. Because I got into cycling so young I haven’t really done any other sports, but whenever I do I really enjoy seeing what you’re capable of.”

The junior group that came through the club alongside Will has also begun making its mark on the sport. Fellow NSWIS scholarship holder Anna Dubier, who raced in the same junior cohort at Lidcombe-Auburn, claimed the Junior Points Race world title last year.

Together, the group represents a new generation of riders emerging from the historic club – one that could shape the next chapter of Australian cycling.

With the Australian summer cycling season nearing its conclusion, Will’s focus now turns to the upcoming national championships. From there, attention will shift to the potential selection for the next UCI Track World Cup in Hong Kong.

Will’s primary goal for this year is making selection for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and UCI Road World Championships in Montreal. Later in the year she is also planning to spend several months racing criteriums in the United States – a new environment she hopes will continue to sharpen her racing craft.

“I’ve never been to America before,” Will said. “So, I was really lucky to get an opportunity [to race], an American team reached out. We’ll be based between New York and Philadelphia I think and racing all over there.”

“I’m really excited, anything could happen, but I know the racing should suit me. It’s a new experience, new adventure. See how it goes.”

If the start to Will’s 2026 season is any indication, keeping track of her medal tally may soon become an even harder task.

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