Anna Meares

Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Anna Meares

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fullname = Anna Meares
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|df=yes|1983|9|21
country = AUS
height = height|m=1.65
weight = convert|62.5|kg|lb|abbr=on
currentteam =
discipline = Track
role = Rider
ridertype = Sprinter
amateuryears =
amateurteams =
proyears =
proteams =
majorwins =
updated = 13 April 2008
medaltemplates =

Anna Maree Meares, OAM (born September 21, 1983 in Blackwater Queensland) is an Australian track cyclist. She has been the 500m TT world champion twice and a gold medalist at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

Biography

Anna Meares started competitive cycling at the age of 11 in 1994, following her older sister Kerrie Meares into the sport. The family were inspired to take up competitive cycling by Kathy Watt winning a cycling gold medal at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. With the family living in the small Queensland coal-mining town of Middlemount, it was more than two hours drive to the nearest cycling track at Mackay for the girls to train.

During the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, she won a gold medal, and set a new world record in the Women's 500 metre time trial of 33.952 seconds. Meares had to beat a new Olympic record set just minutes previously by the reigning World Record holder, Yonghua Jiang of China. (See Cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics)

Meares also won a bronze medal in the Women's 200m Sprint event in Athens.

In May 2004 at the Time Trial World Titles in Melbourne Meares claimed the title of Women's World time trial champion, and won a silver for the sprint event. Also claimed first in the 2004 World Cup Time Trial in Sydney.

In 2002 Meares narrowly missed a bronze medal in the inaugural inclusion of the 500 metre time trial at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, while her older sister, Kerrie Meares won the gold medal in the event. She won a bronze medal in the sprint.

In 2001 Meares was awarded the Australian Junior Women's Track Cyclist of the Year.

Meares made an astonishing come back from a very bad cycling accident at the World Cup in January 2008 when she broke her neck. But she fought her way back and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. [ [http://www.cyclingnews.com/features.php?id=features/2008/meares_crash_jan08 Anna Meares: I'm lucky, but disappointed] , cyclingnews.com, ret: Aug 19, 2008] [ [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/18/2307653.htm?site=olympics/2008/athletes Anna Meares: Back from the brink to chase more gold] , abn.net.au, ret: Aug 17, 2008]

Meares had an eventful semi-final in the sprint at the 2008 Summer Olympics, having lost the first heat to her opponent Guo Shuang, she won the second heat. The third heat saw Guo come down the banking too steeply and her front wheel slipped from beneath her. The heat was re-run and although Guo won by a few millimetres, she was relegated for coming down the tack and pushing Meares onto the côte d'azure on the final lap, Meares was lucky to keep her bicycle upright. This put her through to the final ride-off for gold against Victoria Pendleton, Meares was beaten and received the silver medal.

Palmarés

;2001:1st 500m TT, World Track Championships - Juniors

;2002:3rd Sprint, Commonwealth Games, Manchester

;2003:2nd Keirin, World Track Championships, Stuttgart

;2004:1st flagiconUCI 500m TT, World Track Championships, Melbourne:2nd Sprint, World Track Championships, Melbourne:1st Sprint, Sydney:1st 500m TT, Olympic Games:3rd Sprint, Olympic Games

;2005:2nd Keirin, Los Angeles:1st 500m TT, Australian National Track Championships, Adelaide:1st Sprint, Australian National Track Championships, Adelaide:1st Keirin, Australian National Track Championships, Adelaide:1st Sprint, Sydney:1st Keirin, Sydney:2nd 500m TT, World Track Championships, Los Angeles:3rd Sprint, World Track Championships, Los Angeles:1st Sprint, Oceania Games, Wanganui:1st 500m TT, Oceania Games, Wanganui

;2006:1st Sprint, Australian National Track Championships, Adelaide:2nd Keirin, Australian National Track Championships, Adelaide:1st Sprint, Sydney:1st 500m TT, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne:2nd Sprint, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne:2nd 500m TT, World Track Championships, Bordeaux:1st 500m TT, World Cup, Sydney:1st Team Sprint, World Cup, Sydney

;2007:1st flagiconUCI 500m TT, World Track Championships, Palma de Mallorca - New World Record:3rd Team Sprint, World Track Championships, Palma de Mallorca:3rd Sprint, World Track Championships, Palma de Mallorca:3rd Keirin, World Track Championships, Palma de Mallorca:1st Sprint, World Cup, Los Angeles:2nd Team Sprint, World Cup, Los Angeles:1st 500m TT, Australian National Track Championships, Sydney:1st Team Sprint, Australian National Track Championships, Sydney:2nd Sprint, Australian National Track Championships, Sydney:1st Keirin, Australian National Track Championships, Sydney:3rd Sprint, World Cup, Manchester:3rd Team Sprint, World Cup, Manchester:1st Sprint, Oceania Cycling Championships, Invercargill:2nd Sprint, Sydney:1st 500m TT, Sydney

;2008:2nd Sprint, Olympic Games

See also

* Sprint (cycling)
* Cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics

External links

* [http://www.mearessisters.com/ Mearessisters.com Official website]
* [http://www.cycling.org.au/Content/NavigationMenu/H_P_/Rider_Profiles/Female_Riders/Anna_Meares.htm Anna Meares profile - Australian Cycling Federation]
* [http://www.olympics.com.au/Athletes/AnnaMeares/tabid/260/Default.aspx?link=260&tabid=110& Road To Beijing Diaries: Anna Meares, Track Cycling]

References