Back-to-back gold

By Lachlan Ellis

A Moorabool cyclist has won gold for the second time in a row at a recent event in Ballarat, becoming the first ever to do so.

Twenty one-year-old Graeme Frislie from Bacchus Marsh finished first in the National U23 Championships Criterium on Friday 6 January – the first person to ever defend the title.

Mr Frislie, who also won bronze with the Australian Men’s 4000m Team Pursuit team at the Commonwealth Games last year, said it was a thrill to have won the event once again, and continue his run of solid results.

“It was pretty cool, I got told it was actually the first time that anyone’s ever done it, so that was pretty special,” he told the Moorabool News.

“I was going into the race with some pretty good form, so I knew if I got to the finish in a decent fashion I should have a fair shot at winning, but you never really know until you cross the finish line.”

Competing in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris would be a dream come true, Frislie says – but he’s not getting ahead of himself.

“On the track, it’s definitely a target for me to reach that level, but I still have a little ways to go. There’s a lot of stuff that can happen between now and then,” Mr Frislie said.

“I’m actually in Adelaide at the moment for the Tour Down Under, so I’ve been getting ready for that. I’ve been pretty busy.”

The Tour Down Under began on Friday 13 January, and will conclude on Sunday 22 January.