Australian sports star Anna Meares has become the most successful women’s track cyclist in history after winning her 11th world championship gold medal in Paris yesterday.
Meares took out her 11th gold medal at her very last event of the world championships and became cycling’s top female athlete. Prior to this competition, Meares was level with France’s Felicia Ballanger, with both women holding 10 world championship gold medals.
She is also approaching the title of history’s most prolific cyclist of either gender, with the current record held by France’s Arnaud Tournant with 14 gold medals.
Meares said she did not expect the break the record in Paris after she did not win gold in her strongest event, the 500m time-trial earlier in the week. In the time-trial she was beaten by Russian cyclist Anastasia Voynova, and with the loss she thought she had relinquished any chance of winning her 11th world title.
Meares said the record-breaking time-trial win made up for the disappointment of not winning her favourite event.
“I was really disappointed after the sprint two days ago, I wasn’t sure how I was going to fare today,” she said.
She also said the 11th gold medal was a dream come true for her.
“I had a dream before the Paris worlds were announced that the world titles were in France, that I got to win my 11th world title, and that I got to meet Felicia Ballanger,” said Meares.
“Two of those have happened – I still haven’t met the great woman but there’s still time.”
When asked about the highlight of her career, Meares said it was the record-breaking 11th gold medal.
After the race, Meares told reporters she was “very happy, little bit emotional, very proud”.
The cyclist has won 26 world championship medals in total: 11 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze. She has also won two Olympic gold medals, in Athens in 2004 and London in 2012.
Born in Queensland, Meares began competitive cycling at age 11. She won her first Olympic gold medal at age 21.
“This tells me that I have to work just as hard, have to earn it as much as anyone else, and I did that today. I worked hard, I fought hard, and I earned it and I am really proud of myself,” she said after winning Sunday’s race.
The championships in Paris over the last week were a big success for Australian women with Meares’ teammate Annette Edmondson winning the women’s omnium title.
It was the second gold medal of the championships for Edmondson, who has achieved remarkable success in her short cycling career at just 23 years old. She became world champion in 2012, at just 21.