AMID the uncertainty about the Commonwealth Games, Australian cyclist Shane Perkins is unsure about just one thing.
It is not venue completion, as the velodrome he will compete in is one Delhi venue that is reportedly ready.
It is not security, with Perkins saying he is totally comfortable with going to the sub-continent. And wife Kristine, expecting the couple’s second child in March, and their one-year-old son Aidan are staying home.
The only concern for Perkins – named in a young 27-strong Australian cycling team yesterday for the Games – is the form he can expect to take to Delhi following a long, but successful year.
A silver medal at the world championships in March led straight into a tough season on the lucrative Japanese keirin circuit.
But Perkins, 23, is banking on the fact his preparation this time is better than the lead-up to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, where he secured bronze as part of the team sprint.
“Coming off the worlds and going straight to Japan, I haven’t had that much rest,” said Perkins, who will compete in the individual and team sprint and keirin in Delhi.
“I’m sort of where I want to be but not feeling that comfortable. But that will come in the next four or five weeks.
“Last time I didn’t have the perfect preparation either – I had glandular fever, so it wasn’t that great.
“This year – a silver medal in the sprint and one of the fastest Australians ever on a 250m track – if I can get back to that form I’m confident hopefully I can step on the podium in India.”
Perkins’ emergence at the 2006 Games means this event holds special significance for him. He is also keen to show how much fatherhood and family have smoothed his edges – apparent in several disciplinary run-ins in his past.
There was also his public and ugly pre-Beijing Olympics stoush with his brother-in-law, two-time Olympic track champion Ryan Bayley.
Perkins, a former junior world champion, and reigning Commonwealth Games champion Anna Meares headline the Games squad, which features several members of the team which dominated the world track championships.
Meares will compete in the team sprint and 500m time trial during the Games, from October 3-14.
The team could also feature several cyclists backing up from the road world championships in Geelong the week before the Games.
All five of the men’s road squad – Allan Davis, Mathew Hayman, Richie Porte, Mark Renshaw and Chris Sutton – are in the extended elite men’s squad for the worlds.
- AAP
Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/shane-perkinss-delhi-doubt/story-e6frf9if-1225907547063
