THE sign of a good captain is someone who can inspire their team-mates and that is exactly what Kalinda Robinson did at the 2019 National Junior Track Championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Bathurst Cycling Club and Western Region Academy of Sport talent was named the female captain of the 23-rider New South Wales squad that tackled eight different disciplines of track cycling at Brisbane's Anna Meares Velodrome.
She clocked a massive personal best of 36.113 seconds in claiming gold in the under 17 time trial, placed second in the sprint and shared a special moment with fellow Bathurst rider Tyler Puzicha in the team sprint.
Though Robinson and Puzicha had to settle for silver behind Victoria in that event, the 35.904 effort they clocked was faster than the previous Australian record.
Luke Tuckwell, another Bathurst Cycling Club and WRAS talent who wore the NSW skin suit, said Robinson's efforts spurred on her team-mates.
"Kalinda did really well, Tyler did really well for a first year too - they went faster than the Australian record, they were just unlucky the Victorians went faster again in that final," Tuckwell said.
"Kalinda also won gold in the 500 metre time trial and smashed her PB. It is inspirational, it urges everyone on.
"The WRAS riders all performed really well actually, we came home with a lot of medals. Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, we have the talent and the right coaches and it's some of the best in Australia that come out of these regions."
READ MORE: Hodges extends Bathurst road series lead
While Robinson had previously proven herself on the national scene and Puzicha holds two Australian under 15s track records (flying 200m, time trial), this year was Tuckwell's track nationals debut.
As a 14-year-old competing at under 17s level for the first time he had no expectations, saying: "I was mainly just happy to go."
But he marked his debut by winning a silver medal alongside Dubbo duo Dylan Eather and Daniel Barber plus Illawarra's Ryan Britten in the 3,000m team pursuit.
They were the second fastest outfit in the qualifiers behind Victoria, with just 1:49 seconds between the two teams.
In the gold medal ride Victoria was too good to win by 6.19 seconds, but Tuckwell was delighted to stand on the podium and relished the chance to ride at such a venue.
"We did times in training that were pretty competitive, so we came in with the goals of fast times," he said.
"We were only one and a half seconds off Victoria who qualified first, but we had three riders who were first year [under 17s] in our qualifying team and one second year, so that was a big achievement for us.
Keep up to date with the latest sports news by clicking here
"It's nice when you're up on the podium, everyone's watching, everyone's clapping, everyone's cheering and it's good to do it with your team-mates.
"It is one of the best tracks in the world at the moment and definitely the best one in Australia. I've never been to a place where the crowd has been yelling at every rider, the whole front straight was lined with people.
"When you go off the front or are out the front in a race, it's like a noise tunnel.
"You try not to get goosebumps in the middle of the race, but it does urge you on quite a bit more."
