‘There’s more to come, from all of us’ – Andrews
A beaming Ellesse Andrews cruised around the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, New Zealand flag in hand.
A silver medal would soon be hanging from her neck on a night she, Rebecca Petch and Shaane Fulton won New Zealand’s first women’s team sprint medal in Olympic history.
Tears flowed, hugs followed. And so did a promise. “There’s more to come, from all of us,’’ Andrews said.
Who would doubt her, after the Kiwi trio surprised the cycling world in the team sprint, which most pundits correctly predicted Great Britain to win, but with Germany, China and the Netherlands their primary threats.
Having already added to the silver medal won in the keirin at the Tokyo Games three years ago, Andrews, for starters, still has her preferred event to go.
The keirin world champion is widely considered a serious gold medal contender in the event, in which cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start.
Andrews, the third wheel in the team sprint, is also set to contest the individual sprint, in which she won bronze at last year’s world championships in Glasgow.
“We’ve got a week to go yet. We’ve got a job to do – two jobs to do,’’ her father and coach, Jon, said after the team sprint. “I'm super happy with the start.’’
That job began last night when Andrews lined up in the first round of the keirin. The medals will be contested tomorrow morning. The individual sprint, which Petch and Fulton will also contest, starts at midnight tomorrow, before medals go on the line on Sunday night (NZT).