A women's team sprint bronze medal has been secured by the ARA Australian Cycling Team for the second consecutive year at the 2025 UCI Track World Championships in Santiago.
Alessia McCaig, Molly McGill, Kristine Perkins and debutant Liliya Tatarinoff, who rode qualifying, collectively reeled off three strong rides throughout the opening day of racing at Velódromo Peñalolén, with the third a bronze medal final win versus Poland by 1.26 seconds.
Impressively, all three rides were faster than any time posted a year ago in Ballerup, under 47 seconds and logged without injured Paris 2024 Olympian Kristina Clonan.
Perkins, McGill and McCaig's first round time of 46.453 is a new national record and serves as factual evidence that the Australian women's sprint program is continuing to develop ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and the LA 2028 Olympics.
Post-race, McGill said she was "really happy with how our team executed today".
"This is a different team from last year so to finish on the podium is very special for us," she said.
"It’s very exciting times for our squad, we have a great group of girls who are all capable of being in this team. It’s a very positive step forward for our pathway and I’m looking forward to the future of Australian women’s team sprint.
"It’s been an exciting yet challenging step for me to go back to P2. I still have a lot to learn in that role but tonight was very rewarding."
Results - Women's Team Sprint
Gold medal final
🥇 Netherlands - 45.743
🥈 Great Britain - 46.003
Bronze medal final
🥉 Australia - 46.773
4️⃣ Poland - 48.033
Feature picture: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com