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British Cycling Olympic Academy Programme athlete Kian Emadi is eager to repay the faith shown in him after being selected to make his UCI Track Cycling World Cup debut in Cali, Colombia.
The 20-year-old has been named alongside Becky James and Jess Varnish to contest the opening round of the 2012-13 series, taking place at the 2014 track world championships venue - the Alcides Nieto Patiño velodrome.
The competition comes just two weeks after the British Track Championships in Manchester. There Emadi became national kilo champion but missed out in the keirin final before withdrawing from the men’s sprint competition with a sinus infection.
The additional resting time has allowed Emadi to recover and he is now fervently looking ahead.
“It’s very exciting to be asked to ride and I’m just hoping I can go there and get some good results out of it - I’m really looking forward to it,” said Emadi, who started cycling competitively at the age of 13.
“It’s very exciting to be asked to ride and I’m just hoping I can go there and get some good results."
Kian Emadi
“It’s nice to get the nod and it’s a good opportunity to show how the training has worked and show what you have learnt and put it into practice. It’s a chance to step up and see if you can come out with some good results.”
The competition in South America, running from 11-13 October, will provide valuable international experience for the rider who is scheduled to ride in the kilo, sprint and keirin events over the three days. Continuing his form from the British Championships is the goal, where he feels his performances have provided a solid foundation upon which to build.
“I think it’s the plan to ride all three (events) in Cali,” Emadi said. “There are some positives and a few things to work on and take away from the British Championships.
“I think the kilo is encouraging. I have just got to tighten up on a few technical aspects. The keirin, there was progression in that and the final was just a difficult race to ride but I’m pleased with how it went and if I can keep showing progression and improvement then that is all good.”
On his expectations for Colombia, he added that performances and not necessarily results are the noteworthy element.
“It’s always hard to set what you want to do beforehand because there are a lot of factors that go into what can happen.
“If I go there with a mindset in the kilo of just riding as well as I can technically and just giving it 100% and in the other events if I can just ride consistently, I think whatever result comes out of that is secondary.”
Cali’s track meeting signifies the start of the senior international season - the European Track Championships swiftly follow a week later in Lithuania – but also starts the path to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, by which time Emadi will be 24. With the kilo event no longer part of the Olympic programme, the keirin is one option which may suit him.
“Proportionally I am better at the kilo but as it’s not an Olympic discipline the other two take priority,” Emadi explained.
“The keirin I think suits me more just because of how the race is run, it’s a bit longer and suits a speed endurance aspect that I’ve maybe got.
“I’m not really sure what the plan is after the Cali world cup but I would be happy to ride any I am selected for, but if not it is still a great opportunity to have one world cup to ride. We’ll see how the season progresses.”
