Anna Meares is happy to sit back and watch as Australian cycling's next sprint star makes a name for herself on the velodrome that bears her name.
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But while the retired Meares hopes Stephanie Morton surpasses her record of 11 world titles and two Olympic golds, she says comparing the two is unfair and off the mark.
Morton became the first Australian female to defend a Commonwealth Games sprint crown on Friday night in a promising result ahead of Tokyo's 2020 Olympic Games.
It was Australia's 100th Commonwealth Games cycling gold and the 27-year-old's second of a possible four at Brisbane's Anna Meares Velodrome, with the retired legend on hand to present the medals after the masterclass.
Kaarle McCulloch took bronze after being knocked out by Morton in the semi-final, having paired with her to win the team sprint on Thursday.
Morton beat Meares four years ago in Glasgow for her first Games title and along with men's world sprint champion Matthew Glaetzer, who also won gold on Friday night, will lead Australian cycling's rebuild ahead of Tokyo.
Meares hopes her former teammate eclipses her record but says inevitable comparisons between the pair are lazy.
"You should never do that; it's not fair and I hope Australia gets to know Stephanie for who she is and the independent person she is," Meares told AAP.
"She brings wonderful characteristics and differences and she'll be a leader going forward from what we've seen in her performances here and I hope she surpasses me.
"It's been quite nostalgic and nice to see Comm Games records fall, world records fall here, because I did that in my time and it's nice to witness the sport progress forward without me."
Moments after Morton's win Glaetzer reminded everyone of his prowess, overcoming a congested six-man final to defend his 2014 keirin title in thrilling fashion.
"You want to go, the crowd wants you to go, but to get that winning move, to get gold you need to be patient and make sure you're going fast in the end," Glaetzer said of how he held his nerve in a hectic final.
Earlier in the night Rebecca Wiasak fought bravely for silver in a lung-busting 3000m individual pursuit behind Scotland's Katie Archibald, while Annette Edmondson beat Ashlee Ankudinoff for bronze.
And Jordan Kerby was the best of Australia's world record-breaking team pursuit squad, finshing fourth in the individual event won by England's Charlie Tanfield.
Australian Associated Press
