Cycling great Anna Meares says she's well placed for Olympic glory after grabbing keirin silver at the track world championships in London.
On the comeback from a back injury which ruled her out of the World Cup in New Zealand at the end of last year, Meares admits she is competing at roughly 90 per cent capacity this week leaving her excited about how much improvement remains.
If that's the case, the defending champion will be encouraged by the thrilling final - where Meares forced her way to the front of the pack despite being boxed in on the final lap but couldn't catch Germany's Kristina Vogel, who won by 0.078 seconds.
"I know a lot of people will say 'it's silver, it's not the gold'," said the 32-year-old, who vowed to improve in all areas.
"But I'm looking at the processes and the way I move and the decisions that I've made and how I rode the race and I'm really pleased with that considering where we've come in for this competition targeting Rio particularly.
"I'm probably at about 90-95 per cent for this tournament, so I'm really happy that I've got room to move and improve by the time I get to Rio, and that's what it's all about for me."
Meares suffered a scare in the qualifying rounds when Russian rider Ekaterina Gnidenko drifted into the sprinters lane and clashed with the Australian's front wheel.
The 32-year-old wobbled but remarkably regained control of her bike - which she attributed to her BMX-riding days - to finish in third, before being awarded her place in the semi-finals when officials disqualified Gnidenko.
Teammates Steph Morton and Kaarle McCulloch went one-two in the secondary final, having been edged out in the semi-finals, with Morton taking top spot to secure seventh place overall and McCulloch eighth.
"I think (it bodes well for Rio), absolutely," said Meares, who said the strength in depth ensured no spot was secure on the team.
"I'm really excited about going forward. But I have to continue to work hard.
"I've got to earn my spot and the two girls, Kaarle and Steph, are doing the same thing.
"It was really something for me to see three Aussies in that semi-final.
"Unfortunately we didn't get more than one through to the final, but how good are the odds?"
Share
