St Peter’s School, Cambridge, Year 13 cyclist Ellesse Andrews is now a world record holder. Competing at the 2017 UCI Junior World Track Cycling Championships in Montichiari, Italy, this past weekend, Ellesse won a world title for the second year running. After winning gold in the Team Sprint (with Emma Cummings) and bronze in the 2km Individual Pursuit in Switzerland in 2016, Ellesse stepped it up another notch this year, smashing the 2km Individual Pursuit world record by four seconds. Her superb performance in qualifying upset the local Italian facourite in an extremely close ride. Her winning time of 2:18.080 was comfortably inside the previous world record set recently on the same track at the European Championships. In the final she pulled out more than half a second to beat Italian Letiza Paternoster to win the title, her fourth world championship medal. New Zealand teammate Nicole Shields from Dunstan High School in Central Otago finished fourth. Ellesse also competed in four rounds of the Keirin, an event that involves being paced by a motor bike on the velodrome for three laps before it pulls out for an all-out two-lap sprint off to the finish. In a six-rider final, stacked with sprinters, Ellesse crossed the line in fifth place. This rounds off a very successful week of racing for Ellesse, who along with team mates Nicole Shields, Katie Smith and Emily Sharman also won silver for New Zealand in the 4km Team Pursuit. Read our previous interviews with Ellesse Andrews:
Wanaka cyclist Ellesse Andrews setting new standards on the track (March 2015) Ellesse Andrews riding a wave of success (October 2016) There’s rarely a dull moment for Hawera High School’s Brooke Fevre, who is busy juggling her two sports of rugby and BMX racing. One she started doing because of injury, the other carries a high risk of injury. “I started rugby refereeing in 2016, after I got concussed and also injured my neck and had to stop playing, said Brooke who is year 13 at Hawera High School. “BMX racing is a really competitive sport and everyone wants that finals spot, so crashes and the potential for injuries are part of it. Luckily I haven’t had any serious injuries, just a few scrapes and crashes that haven’t been too serious.” She is the only girls rugby referee in the Taranaki region, and hopes to continue with the whistle in to the future. She is a nationally ranked BMX racer and it has taken her all over the world. “I have been to world championships, so that has been a great experience being able to represent New Zealand overseas and race my bike.” “I have made it to the semi-finals. In the World Championships in England in 2012 I crashed in my semi, when they were in Auckland I missed out on the final by one point and then when they were in Adelaide I made it to the quarter-finals and then crashed as well!” In the National BMX Championships in April Brooke finished eighth out of about 30 riders in the 17-29 female division. The only other current schoolgirl was Jordan Donaldson who goes to Hobsonville Point High School in Auckland. She trains at home in Hawera and up in New Plymouth on a regular basis. The North Island Championships in Whangarei are coming up later in the year so that is the next big event on the BMX calendar. BMX racing is an Olympic sport and has grown in popularity around the world. New Zealand’s Sarah Walker won silver at the London Olympics in 2012 and is a former world champion and Brooke has raced against her. Brooke has a strong family connection in both sports. ““I started BMX racing when I was four. My whole family on mum’s side do it. My uncle is a world champion and my granddad is the President of the Hawera BMX Club, so they have kind of brought me through the sport. Brooke’s father is Craig Fevre, former Taranaki halfback and current co-coach of Taranaki club team Stratford-Eltham who finished fifth in Taranaki Premier rugby this year. “I have other rugby connections. My second cousin is Black Ferns halfback Kendra Cocksedge and we are slightly related to the Barrett brothers – so my family love our rugby. “When I used to play I was a halfback as well, so Kendra used to give me some tips and advice. “Now I am concentrating on refereeing. I would love to travel the world as a referee and referee at a high level of women’s rugby. I am always working hard to be better and if opportunities pop up then I will take them!”
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OrganisationCollege Sport Media is dedicated to telling the story of successful young sportspeople in New Zealand
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