Ian Walton/AP
Bryony Botha set a Commonwealth Games record in qualifying en route to a gold medal.
New Zealand v New Zealand. Teammate against teammate. Aaron Gate has won his second gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games after beating Tom Sexton in a dramatic men’s only kiwifruit individual pursuit final during another highly successful day for the New Zealand team at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark.
24 hours after teaming up to win the first gold medal in the men’s team pursuit since 1990, Gate and Sexton were pitted against each other after setting two fastest times in qualifying, with Gate setting a Commonwealth Games record.
Sexton went out super fast and led Gate by 1.4 seconds halfway through, but he was unable to maintain a steady pace and faded during the second half of the 4000m race.
Gate is the third New Zealand rider to win the men’s individual pursuit, after Gary Anderson in 1990 and Mike Richards in 1978.
Bryony Botha also won her second medal of the Games, one better than the silver she won in the women’s team pursuit by dominating the individual pursuit final.
Botha broke her own Commonwealth Games record set in qualifying, leading from start to finish, beating Australian Maeve Plouffe comfortably by 8.666 seconds.
The 24-year-old overtook Plouffe at the finish of the 3000m race when she plunged below 3:19 for the first time in her career and set another world time of 3:18.456.
After Alison Shanks in 2010, Sarah Ulmer in 2002 and 1998 and Madonna Harris in 1990, Botha is the fourth New Zealand rider to win gold in the women’s individual pursuit.