McCulloch’s final shot at Rio

With 45 days to the start of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and only 14 until the Australian Olympic cycling team is announced, NSWIS cyclist Kaarle McCulloch will have her final opportunity to gain selection at this week’s International Track Series (ITS) Melbourne.

To be held at Thornbury’s DISC Velodrome from June 22-26, ITS Melbourne provides the final opportunity for a number of Australian and international athletes to either fine tune their Games preparations, or put their hand up for team selection. 

Dual Olympic gold medallist Anna Meares (SA) and 2016 world championship silver medallist Matthew Glaetzer (SA) headline the Australian contingent in the Elite field.  

McCulloch, who won silver at the London Olympic, will battle it out with Commonwealth Games gold medallist Stephanie Morton (SA), London Olympic medallist Shane Perkins (VIC), plus rising stars Pat Constable (SA) and Jacob Schmid (VIC). 

The Elite field will race across four of the five days with two sprint (Wednesday and Saturday) and two keirin competitions (Thursday & Sunday) will be contested. (Friday is an Under 19 only competition day).

A strong international contingent has been confirmed from New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Canada.

The men’s field includes four time world championship medallist Azizulhasni Awang (Malaysia), Commonwealth and world championship medallist Matthew Archibald (New Zealand) and Japan’s Tomoyuki Kawabata and Kazuki Amagai.

Wai Sze Lee (Hong Kong) – who claimed three wins at the 2015 ITS – leads a strong field of contenders in the women’s sprint events with Melbourne-based duo Fatehah Mustapa (Malaysia) and Shannon McCurley (Ireland), plus Sakura Tsukagoshi (Japan) and Canadian keirin champion Lizanne Wilmot.

Australia’s rising stars will also be on show with the under 19 category, with the Australian team to use ITS as preparation for July’s 2016 UCI Junior Track World Championships.  Friday is a dedicated day of racing for the age group. 

Schedule (finish times are approximate only)

• Wednesday 22 June – 1pm to 11pm 

• Elite Sprint; Elite Omnium Rd 1-3; U19 keirin & endurance events

• Thursday 23 June – 1pm to 9pm

• Elite Keirin; Elite Omnium Rd 4-6; U19 sprint;

• Friday 24 June – 1pm to 8pm

• Under 19 events only

• Saturday 25 June – 11am to 11pm

• Elite Sprint; Elite Omnium Rd 1-3; U19 keirin & endurance events

• Sunday 26 June – 1pm to 9pm, Elite Keirin; Elite Omnium Rd 4-6; U19 sprint