Ashlee Ankudinoff has won her maiden individual pursuit national title at the Australian Track Cycling Titles in Adelaide.
The 25-year-old defeated two-time defending champion and three time world championship medalist Amy Cure from Tasmania in the final.
“This was my first national title other than an omnium so I’m really pleased,” Ankudinoff said after claiming her fourth national crown to add to three omnium national titles won since 2010.
“It is very special, it has been a long time coming after always being the bridesmaid in the [individual pursuit] or the scratch race, so I am rapt to have taken the win tonight.”
The pair – one half of Australia’s reigning team pursuit world champion quartet - could scarcely be separated throughout the second day of competition, having finished less than half a second apart in the afternoon’s qualifying.
With her quietly confident parents watching in the stands, Cure took an early lead of almost a second after the first few laps, before Ankudinoff reeled her back to take the lead after four of 12 laps.
The Menai cyclist continued her rhythm over the middle stages of the race to establish a lead of almost two seconds inside the final kilometre.
Despite a late charge by the Tasmanian, Ankudinoff held on to cross the line in 3 minutes 32.535 seconds, eight tenths of a second ahead of Cure (3:33.314).
“I knew it was going to be tough,” revealed Ankudinoff, herself a former junior world champion in the event along with Cure who has also reached the elite world podium in the past three years.
“Especially up against Amy who is so tough, she is a perfect pursuiter and has so many world medals.
“I knew I was up against it but I knew I had good form and I could take it to her.”
In the race for bronze, reigning world champion Rebecca Wiasak finished ahead of South Australia’s Alexandra Manly.
In the women's sprint qualifying, two-time national champion Kaarle McCulloch from the St George Cycling Club finished second fastest behind South Australia’s Stephanie Morton.
Morton launched herself around the Super-Drome track in a national championships record of 10.937 – the first sub-eleven second time in the event's history.
The time eclipsed the five-year old record of 11.088 seconds set by Anna Meares (SA).
Meares, the reigning Olympic champion and eight-time winner of the event, was third fastest in 11.245 seconds and faces McCulloch in Friday's semi-finals in a repeat of last year's final.
