2013-14 National Track Sprint Program Athletes Announced

London Olympic gold medalist Anna Meares and bronze medalist Shane Perkins headline the 2013-2014 National Sprint Program announced by Cycling Australia in partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport.

The recipients represent the largest squad ever selected for a national sprint program and were based on a range of areas including junior and senior performances in key events, camps and their potential suitability to deliver world-class performances.

"It is a really exciting period for sprint cycling at the start of a new Olympic cycle," Head Coach Gary West said. "We are creating opportunities to develop a real depth in sprint at the national level with several athletes graduating from our National Sprint Academy into our top program, and onto an AIS scholarship."

The recently announced changes to the UCI track structure will result in a increase in competition by the riders in UCI category class races both in Australia and overseas.

In addition to the Track World Cup events and World Championship, the riders will contest a number of events throughout Australia, in addition to Malaysia, Germany and Poland between June and September.

"The new UCI track structure reform makes for a challenging time heading into the 2013-14 season but will also create new opportunities for our athletes," explained Gary.

"There will be a need to compete more often, both domestically and internationally to ensure we qualify for the World Cups and World Championships, which will provide additional development opportunities for some of our younger athletes."

National Sprint Program Athletes