Central locals have another of their own to support tonight as New Zealand’s women’s cycling team pursuit quartet are in a good position for a medal at the Olympic velodrome.

Clyde’s Nicole Shields, a former Clyde School and Dunstan High School student, is part of the women’s endurance team alongside Bryony Botha, Ally Wollaston and Emily Shearman.

The team set a time in the qualification round of the team pursuit early on Wednesday morning of 4 minutes and 4 seconds (or 4.04:679), also setting a new national record.

They were only 0.437 seconds short of the existing world record set in the Tokyo Olympics by Germany. 

The team is racing in the first round at Saint Quentin en Yvelines Velodrome at 11.52pm against Italy, whose qualification round time was fourth fastest at 4 minutes and 7 seconds. 

Times will determine the next opponents for NZ.

The bronze medal final is at 5.17am (Thursday) or the gold medal final at 5.28am. 

After the qualification round other top finishers were the United States and Great Britain. 

The NZ quartet are the top ranked women’s team pursuit, second on Olympic rankings in the two-rider madison and third in the omnium. 

Team pursuit involves two teams of four riders, starting on opposite sides of the velodrome, and is 4km in distance. 

The track cycling can be viewed on Sky channel 57 (Paris 5) from 10.40pm or watch free-to-air on Sky Open (Freeview channel 15/ Sky 004).

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