'What a way to finish': Glaetzer defies setbacks to win 1000m TT gold

Time and time again Matthew Glaetzer has shown that if there is a will, there is a way. Last night, he showed us again.

The 29-year-old star of Australian Cycling Team's Commonwealth Games Australia squad was at his scintillating best on the final day of the Birmingham 2022 track cycling program, taking a noisy day's script into his own hands by defending his gold medal status in the 1000m time trial.

Glaetzer was joined by 22-year-old Commonwealth Games debutant Thomas Cornish on the podium in the silver medal position, with the hero of Day 3, Matthew Richardson, finishing in fourth.

All three Australians raced the 1000m time trial on drop bars rather than pursuit bars, after AusCycling's extensive testing and exhaustive investigation of alternatives to the load requirements the equipment would be placed under in the kilo by the sprinting trio was determined to be unsafe.

It's this factor surrounding Glaetzer's fifth Commonwealth Games gold medal and the manner in which he attacked the one kilometre sufferfest that place this performance into a completely separate category of iconic Glaetzer moments, while providing further vindication of his legendary status among Australian track cycling folklore.

"Today was tough - I'm surprised I went that fast to be honest," Glaetzer said.

"I felt terrible with two to go, I was like 'oh dear', but I knew I had one last ride.

"I’ve been there before, having to come back from disappointment. It's just credit to show no matter what happens you can always go again."

Uttering those words, it was clear Glaetzer had mentally pulled himself out of a hole by way of sheer determination to win, and did so less than 24 hours after controversially being relegated in the bronze medal sprint final.

"It’s not easy for sure, it’s always challenging when you get knocked down," Glaetzer said.

"But to be honest, I was really happy with how I rode yesterday, the commissaires just didn't want me to have it ... so, I'm just really happy that I can finish off with a win.

"I was going to be stoked if I got a medal today all things considered.

"But to take it and to smash it, to go 59.5 (seconds) on drops, I mean ... we left a second out there without the aero bars!

"To be honest, my goal was to go sub-59 (seconds) here but when we lost the bars it was like, well, I’ll just have to go sub-minute on sprint bars.

"And it turns out that’s what got the job done. So happy, this is awesome and what a way to finish."

Younger teammate and well-pedigreed kilo racer Cornish was visibly disappointed at being knocked off the gold medal perch by Glaetzer with the final start of the event.

A warranted reaction from a sprinter on the rise with an eye only for gold and the lingering back of mind question of 'what if?'

"It was a bit upsetting coming into it (the kilo) because we had the equipment issue, but I tried my best to just put it behind me and focus on what I can do," Cornish said.

"I went out there and just laid it all the line and came away with a pretty good time.

"I'm happy to have been able to achieve what I did ... can't ask for too much more to be honest.

"I wasn't too sure about the time when I laid it down ... it wasn't a PB (personal best) so I was like 'oh, I'm not sure if it's going to hold up'.

"I was still in first place until Matty came on the line and I just had my fingers crossed but he's so strong, like he just absolutely ripped it and I'm happy with second place."

Matthew Glaetzer and Thomas Cornish won gold and silver in the 1000m time trial to cap off Australia's track cycling medal haul from Birmingham 2022. Picture: Guy Swarbrick

The gold and silver medal are Australia's last at Lee Valley VeloPark for Birmingham 2022 and see Australia end the four days of competition with eight gold, two silver and three bronze.

AusCycling is looking forward to continuing work with track equipment partner Argon 18 to investigate a bespoke handlebar set-up ahead of the 2022 UCI Track World Championships in France this October.

The Guardian also revealed overnight that AusCycling was leading discussions with counterpart national cycling governing organisations at Birmingham 2022 in the hope of presenting a united front to world cycling governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), regarding improved safety measures at velodromes.

It comes after a shocking multiple rider crash in Day 3's second scratch race qualifying heat sent Englishman Matthew Walls over the velodrome railing and into the crowd.

Main picture: Guy Swarbrick