UCI Track World Championships 2012: Women's Individual Pursuit Results

Image 1 of 10

Alison Shanks (NZL) waves to the crowd after her fast ride (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 2 of 10

Alison Shanks (NZL) celebrates in style (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 3 of 10

Ashlee Ankudinoff (AUS) rode into the bronze in the individual pursuit (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 4 of 10

Alison Shanks (NZL) was just too strong to take the gold (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 5 of 10

Amy Cure (AUS) racing in todays qualifying heats (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 6 of 10

Wendy Houvenaghel (GBR) racing in Melbourne (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 7 of 10

Joanna Rowsell (GBR) showed good form (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 8 of 10

Kiwi favourite Alison Shanks (NZL) rode to a record time on Australian soil (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 9 of 10

Caroline Ryan (IRL) on the start line (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Image 10 of 10

Ashlee Ankudinoff (AUS) put in a fast time in the heats (Image credit: Mark Gunter)

Alison Shanks celebrated her second rainbow jersey with an emphatic victory in the individual pursuit to seal New Zealand's most successful ever showing at the Track World Championships.

Pendleton prevails over Krupeckaite in women's sprint final

Pawlowska wins women's scratch race

Track Worlds: Laura Trott wins gold in women's omnium

Shanks dominated her final of the 3000m individual pursuit over old adversary Wendy Houvenaghel (GBR) to repeat the world championship title won in the same event in 2009.

Shanks, who set a new personal best of 3:27.268 to top the qualifying positions, was in front from the second lap. She stretched the gap to 1.5 seconds at the 2000m mark and was in complete control from that point, winning in 3:30.199 on the slower track, with the Northern Irish rider more than two seconds behind.

"When they came out with so many fast times in qualifying I thought man I have to make a PB just to make the final. I was absolutely stoked with my rides today," Shanks said.

"I've been world champ before but it is so hard to get. Once you have had that feeling once, you want it again even more.

"My rides in the TP (team pursuit) showed I had good form. All the data pointed to that but it was a matter of putting it out there. I haven't been focussing on the individual pursuit so it was a little bit of an unknown but my legs felt great today.

"It was totally like a home crowd. There were so many Kiwis that came over and gave me so much support.”

Results

Gold Medal Race
#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Alison Shanks (New Zealand)	0:03:30.199
2	Wendy Houvenaghel (Great Britain)	0:03:32.340

Bronze Medal Race
#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Ashlee Ankudinoff (Australia)	0:03:33.593
2	Amy Cure (Australia)	0:03:33.642

Qualifying results
#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Alison Shanks (New Zealand)	0:03:27.268
2	Wendy Houvenaghel (Great Britain)	0:03:27.842
3	Amy Cure (Australia)	0:03:28.474
4	Ashlee Ankudinoff (Australia)	0:03:28.869
5	Tara Whitten (Canada)	0:03:30.407
6	Joanna Rowsell (Great Britain)	0:03:31.187
7	Vilija Sereikaite (Lithuania)	0:03:33.612
8	Elizaveta Bochkareva (Ukraine)	0:03:34.471
9	Caroline Ryan (Ireland)	0:03:34.515
10	Jaime Nielsen (New Zealand)	0:03:35.286
11	Jennie Reed (United States Of America)	0:03:35.359
12	Lauren Ellis (New Zealand)	0:03:37.925
13	Vera Koedooder (Netherlands)	0:03:38.099
14	Venera Absalyamova (Russian Federation)	0:03:39.456
15	Katarzyna Pawlowska (Poland)	0:03:39.519
16	Eugenia Bujak (Poland)	0:03:39.610
17	Madeleine Sandig (Germany)	0:03:40.156
18	Marlies Mejias Garcia (Cuba)	0:03:40.371
19	Maki Tabata (Japan)	0:03:44.501
20	Minami Uwano (Japan)	0:03:44.644
21	Svetlana Pauliukaite (Lithuania)	0:03:44.646
22	Wan Yiu Wong (Hong Kong, China)	0:03:47.976