By JARROD POTTER
PULLING on her first world champion’s rainbow jersey is an unforgettable memory for Courtney Field.
Field, 17, from Berwick, won a world champion’s rainbow jersey and a silver medal in South Korea at the UCI Junior Track World Championships and become the first Australian woman to win the sprint since 1998 after she stormed the competition to snare gold in the best-of-three competition.
She progressed to the finals of the women’s sprint, after the Berwick powerhouse knocked off Italy’s Elena Bissolati, New Zealand’s Olivia Podmore and Germany’s Doreen Heinze in the preliminary rounds before defeating Belgium’s Nicky Degrendele to book a place in the final.
Facing Russia’s Tatiana Kiseleva in the sprint final, Field claimed the first race in the series before Kiseleva fought back to level the ledger and force a third and deciding race.
Field had the power to push her bicycle to a whopping 61.882 km/h to finish in 11.635 seconds and take win number three and with it become a junior world champion – the first Australian woman since Rosalee Hubbard in 1998 to win the prestigious event.
“It’s all just so overwhelming and just indescribable, really,” Field said.
“Everything I have worked for all came together today (Monday) and I am so proud to do it for my country and my team.”
In the third and deciding heat Field powered home to claim gold, celebrating in front of the Korean crowd after playing a tactical game against the strong Russian rider.
“Then coming into the gold medal ride off, I had been watching Kiseleva all week and I was trying to put my tactics into play.
“In the first heat it worked really well but in the second one I didn’t take a move that I should have but I regrouped for the third and final ride and got really lucky.
“I didn’t know until they put it on the screen, it was so close, until I saw it on the screen.
“I was shocked, I didn’t know what to do with myself.
“The Koreans in the crowd were going crazy celebrating and then I started to as well as, you never know, it could be my only ever world title so I wanted to enjoy it.”
Earlier in the competition Field set the pace in the women’s 500m time trial – blazing out of the gates to register a time of 35.569 seconds.
She had to sit and wait for the rest of the field to complete their runs and she held onto the lead in pursuit of her first rainbow jersey.
That dream was narrowly lost as Russian cyclist Tatiana Kiseleva (RUS) was able to complete the Gwang Myeong Speedom course in 35.470 seconds to edge Field into the silver medal position.
The championships concluded with Field participating in the women’s keirin as her final event on Tuesday.
