ARARAT - Gun Ararat cyclist Evan Hull has taken another step closer to his dream of one day riding at an Olympic Games after returning from the Australian Track National Championships in Adelaide with two gold medals.
It is the fifth year Hull has competed at the National Championships where he has previously won five other gold medals, however this year was his first as a top-age junior in the under 19s.
Part of a four-man Victorian team, Hull claimed his first gold on day two of the four-day championships, in the Bill Young men under 19 teams pursuit over 4,000 metres.
"It is pretty flat out for the whole 16 laps," Hull said.
"I was the starter so I had to go hard straight away for three quarters of the first lap.
"Then I had to swing off to the side and drop into the back, then try and maintain the tempo. It gets your heart rate racing!"
Hull teamed up with reigning junior world champions Jack Cummings and Alexander Morgan, along with triple goal medallist Zac Shaw, for the race, with Victorian combination claiming gold in a time of 4:08.745 - More than six seconds faster than the second-placed South Australian team.
Hull said he had been riding with his team mates for about five years and was pleased to have success with the talented trio.
A day after claiming gold in the team race, Hull was selected to compete in the under 19 men's 10-kilometre scratch race final.
Racing against 19 other top-age juniors, Hull broke away with five laps to go.
"There was already a guy who had pushed ahead, so I got to him then the bunch started to sprint to catch us," Hull said.
"I saw them coming so I went to the outside of the leader and went for it and ended up winning by half a wheel."
Hull won the race in 11:51, ahead of New South Wales pair Tirian McManus and Caleb Ewan.
With his parents Gary and Tracy watching from the stands, Hull said it was a satisfying victory.
"I was pretty stoked and did a big salute when I crossed the line," he said.
Hull is now waiting to see if he will be selected in the Australian team to contest the Junior World Track Cycling Championships, which will be held in New Zealand in August.
"They are picking the team at the moment, so I am just hoping I will get a call from them to say I've got a spot in the team," he said.
Ararat and District Cycling Club member, Jaron Gardiner teamed up with fellow Victorian cycling stars Shane Perkins and Jason Niblett to claim bronze in the team sprint.
The talented trio finished the race in a time of 45.984 to place third over the team from Western Australia.
Gardiner, the reigning junior world time trial champion, was taken to hospital via ambulance after an accident on Friday, but recovered to contest the keirin events on Sunday.
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