New Zealand's cycling team continues to impress at this year's Commonwealth Games with three more medals guaranteed on day 2 of competition thanks to some record-breaking performances Saturday evening.
After claiming four medals on the opening day of competition, the cycling team returned to Lee Valley VeloPark in London for individual competitions and the endurance riders dominated.
Aaron Gate and Tom Sexton will feature in a rare all-Kiwi gold medal race in the men's individual pursuit after they both set scorching times in qualifying.
Sexton was up first and laid down a new Commonwealth Games record with a time 4:08.689 before Gate came in and blitzed it by 1.560s to enter as top qualifier. Conor Leahy finished third and will race England's Charlie Tanfield for bronze after the Australian finished just 0.334s slower than Sexton.
it means New Zealand are guaranteed a gold and silver on Sunday morning with Gate and Sexton to decide who gets what.
Earlier, Bryony Botha guaranteed another medal for New Zealand with her effort in the women's individual pursuit, booking a place in the gold medal race as top qualifier with Commonwealth Games record time of 3:19.836 - a whopping 2.159s faster than her opponent for the final, Australia's Maeve Plouffe.
It continues a superb run of late for Botha who has broken the New Zealand record three times recently as well as the Oceania record.
Should Botha go on to win Sunday morning, it would also add another chapter to New Zealand's stacked history in the event with Alison Shanks [2010], Sarah Ulmer [2002 and 1998] and Madonna Harris [1990] all previous winners for Aotearoa. Ulmer also took home a silver in 1994.
Ellesse Andrews, Olivia King and Rebecca Petch - who together won gold in the team sprint - also raced Saturday evening and after all qualified in the individual sprint first up, Andrews was the only one to advance to the quarter-finals after the round-of-16.
Andrews was made to work to earn her place in the semis after dropping the first race of her best-of-three quarter-final against Canadian Lauriane Genest. The 22-year-old came back to win the next two races though, punching her ticket to the semi-finals and with it a chance to at least go for bronze.
New Zealand also has a chance for another cycling medal in men's keirin with Sam Dakin, Callum Saunders and Sam Webster all entered.
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