GLENN O’Shea has cleared another hurdle in his bid to make the Australian cycling team for this year’s World Championships and Olympics.
O’Shea won the gold medal in the men’s omnium at the track cycling World Cup meeting in Beijing on Sunday.
After winning two gold medals at the first leg of the World Cup in Astana late last year, O’Shea put his name up in lights again with a dominant performance in Beijing.
The 22-year-old notched four first-three performances out of six stages of the event to win, with France’s Bryan Coquard and Nikias Arndt from Germany with silver and bronze.
O’Shea won the points race and individual pursuit, finished second in the time-trial and third in the elimination race.
“He keeps stepping up to the mark and he’s giving himself every chance of being selected for the World Championships,’’ O’Shea’s coach Tim Decker said from his Adelaide base.
“The world championships are the first aim and then, hopefully, he performs well there and goes on to the Olympics.
“Glenn was told he needed to perform well and ride world-class times at the Australian omnium titles and the World Cup in Beijing and he’s achieved that.
“There’s still some areas of improvement we need to work on... I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet.”
O’Shea arrives back in Australia tomorrow and will hit the road for a series of tough training sessions.
“We need to get some more road kilometres in his legs to build up his strength for the Australian track cycling nationals, starting next Thursday,’’ Decker said.
“At the nationals he’ll compete in the teams pursuit and the points score.
“After that he’ll go to a training camp before maybe riding at the London World Cup.
“The team for the World Championships won’t be named until after the London World Cup.”
This year’s World Championships are in Melbourne from April 4-8.
O’Shea also remains some chance of chasing a third victory in the Bendigo International Madis