Beijing Top Spot

Southland sprinter Edward Dawkins, 20, took the men’s individual gold at the Beijing stop of the UCI track cycling World Cup. Dawkins claimed the sprint title with two straight wins against Frenchman Michael D’almeida in the best-of-three final thanks to his strong dash ability. The New Zealand squad won three medals on the final night with the women’s pursuit team awarded a silver medal against Australia while Tom Scully and Myron Simpson took bronze in the final of the 40km Madison. The squad returns to New Zealand to prepare for the national track championships in Invercargill next month, which double as the Commonwealth Games Trials.