Following a very successful campaign at the Track Nationals, Ronan Shearing headed to Brisbane for the Oceania Track Champs. There he rode a very full programme, riding in 9 events, 13 races overall in four days. His first event was the Keirin, the event he won a Gold Medal at the NZ Nationals event only two weeks earlier. Ronan narrowly missed a serious crash in the heats where a NZ rider suffered a brain bleed and a serious concussion, he is fortunate to be back on his bike now. Keen to see how he stacked up against the Australians in the final, Ronan rode well and earned a Silver Medal, a fantastic achievement at this level.
In the scratch race, Ronan was very pleased with his race plan and how the race was progressing, unfortunately another rider dived down and slid into him, taking him out of the race. Ronan suffered some burns and his front wheel cracked and was written off.
In his other races, Ronan earned a Silver in the Team Pursuit and a Silver in the Team Sprint. He was placed 4th in the Points Race and 5th in the Kilo.
Ronan was selected for the NZ Team to attend Oceania Champs in both 2020 and 2021, both years the Champs were cancelled. Asked how he maintained his focus, motivation and fitness during all of the uncertainty Covid has created, Ronan said he tried to always stay hopeful. He has trained up to 25 hours a week for these important meets and tried very hard to remain healthy and calm in between. This combined with a highly successful academic record is testament to the drive and commitment Ronan has shown in all aspects. Congratulations Ronan, we are very proud of your success, you have certainly earned every accolade.
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