By Samantha Lane
Freshly crowned national champion and London Olympic medallist Shane Perkins remains intent on convincing national selectors he deserves to compete at the Rio games.
The 29-year-old keirin ace was ineligible for the 20-member Australian team unveiled on Wednesday for next month's world track championships in London, but similar to Jack Bobridge, Melissa Hoskins and Alex Edmondson will mount his case elsewhere.
Anna Meares (right) won her 35th Australian nationals title, beating Stephanie Morton in Adelaide.Credit: John Veage
The peerless Anna Meares, in jaw-dropping form at last week's nationals, headlines the world titles-bound group with familiar faces Cameron Meyer, Michael Hepburn, Kaarle McCulloch and Annette Edmondson, and lesser known Jacob Schmid, Patrick Constable, Georgia Baker, Callum Scotson and Alex Porter.
With Matthew Glaetzer the clear leader among Australia's male sprinters – top of world cycling's track rankings presently – rising stars Constable and Schmid have thus far been favoured over Perkins, who was overlooked for three world cup meets making him ineligible to ride the upcoming world titles.
Shane Perkins wins the Australian Keirin title in Adelaide last week. Credit: John Veage
The bronze medallist in the men's sprint at the 2012 London Olympics, Perkins lost his Australian Institute of Sport scholarship late last year; told by Australian cycling chiefs his form was not meeting the mark.
Privately coached since, Perkins turned up to last week's national titles and won his fourth keirin crown.
It means the performances of Schmid and Constable at the world titles will be particularly interesting as Australia seeks to assemble its strongest sprinting and endurance combinations ahead of the August Olympics.
Like Hoskins, who is missing the worlds meet after contracting pneumonia, and Bobridge and Alex Edmondson who are prioritising professional road commitments, Perkins will have to take an unconventional route if he is to be picked for Rio.
A team selection camp will be held in April. But first the Australian squad that has been selected for the worlds will try to qualify for maximum positions in the 10 Olympic track disciplines.
Bobridge and Edmondson have the backing of Australian cycling bosses to prioritise road racing and are in Olympic plans for track endurance events.
On world cycling rankings Australian riders rank in the top-three in eight of the 10 Olympic disciplines. The men's team sprint and the men's keirin are the exceptions.
Results at the London worlds are especially important for Australia's female sprinters Meares, McCulloch and Stephanie Morton because the top nine nations win two positions in the individual sprint and keirin events.
Meares is aiming to defend her world keirin title in London next month and is also set to race the individual and team sprint events. She won all three disciplines at the recent nationals meet.
Other defending world champions include Annette Edmondson (omnium and team pursuit), Ashlee Ankudinoff and Amy Cure (team pursuit) and Rebecca Wiasak (individual pursuit).
A six-time senior track world champion, Meyer has been picked to ride the madison in London – he won the crown in the event in 2010 and 2011 – but is not angling for an Olympic berth in the squad.
2016 UCI World Track Cycling Championships
London Olympic velodrome, March 2-6, last qualification event for nations' places in ten track medal events for Rio Olympics in August before an Olympic track selection camp in April, with riders not picked in worlds' team remaining eligible.
Form
2012 world championships (Melbourne):
Australia tops medal table with 15 medals (6 gold). Great Britain 13 medals (6 gold).
2012 Olympics (London):
Great Britain wins gold in 7 of 10 track events. Australia wins one gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze.
Australian squad
Sprint: Kaarle McCulloch (NSW), Anna Meares (SA/Qld), Stephanie Morton (SA), Patrick Constable (SA), Matthew Glaetzer (SA), Nathan Hart (ACT), Jacob Schmid (Vic)
Women's endurance: Ashlee Ankudinoff (NSW), Georgia Baker (Tas), Amy Cure (Tas), Annette Edmondson (SA), Rebecca Wiasak (ACT)
Men's endurance: Luke Davison (SA/NSW), Michael Hepburn (Qld), Cameron Meyer (WA), Glenn O'Shea (SA/Vic), Alex Porter (SA), Callum Scotson (SA), Miles Scotson (SA), Sam Welsford (WA)