Ellesse Andrews

Ellesse Andrews
Andrews in 2020
Personal information
Born (1999-12-31) 31 December 1999 (age 24)
Christchurch, New Zealand
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)[1]
Team information
DisciplineTrack
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Medal record
Women's track cycling
Representing  New Zealand
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Keirin
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Keirin
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Team sprint
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Glasgow Keirin
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Glasgow Sprint
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Keirin
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham Team pursuit
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Aigle Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2017 Montichiari Individual pursuit
Silver medal – second place 2017 Montichiari Team pursuit
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Aigle Individual pursuit
Oceania Track Cycling Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Adelaide Individual pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2020 Invercargill Keirin
Gold medal – first place 2022 Brisbane Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2022 Brisbane Keirin
Gold medal – first place 2022 Brisbane Team Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2023 Brisbane Sprint
Silver medal – second place 2023 Brisbane Keirin
Silver medal – second place 2023 Brisbane Team Sprint

Ellesse Andrews (born 31 December 1999) is a New Zealand racing cyclist. She represented New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2020 Summer Olympics,[1] where she gained a silver medal in the keirin.[2][3] At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she earned two gold medals for winning the keirin and sprint, as well as a silver medal in the team sprint.[4]

Early life

Andrews was born in Christchurch Women's Hospital at 23:45 on 31 December 1999, fifteen minutes short of the year 2000.[5] Her father is Olympic cyclist Jon Andrews, who represented New Zealand at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and 1992 Summer Olympics.[6] Her mother is Angela Mote-Andrews, who competed internationally in mountain biking. Mote-Andrews was preparing herself for her inaugural participation at world championships—the 1999 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Åre, Sweden—when she got pregnant.[7] She has one younger sister.[8]

Andrews grew up in Wānaka and attended Mount Aspiring College until the end of Year 11 before moving to St Peter's School in Cambridge for the final two years of secondary school.[9]

Cycling career

Andrews started cycling competitively aged 14, initially mountain biking but she soon changed to track cycling.[7] She asked her father to pay for dance classes and a deal was made that they would do more cycling. Shortly afterwards, her father bought her a track bike, which got her into track cycling.[10]

Andrews won four medals, including two gold at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships.[7] Competing in the Izu Velodrome, she won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics keirin. She had to go through the repechage to progress to quarter and semi finals. In the final, she moved into second place with two laps to go and held that place.[11]

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Andrew became the first woman to win the Olympic gold medal in both the keirin[12] and the sprint[13] at the same games.[14] She had earlier won the silver medal in the team sprint event, alongside Rebecca Petch and Shaane Fulton.[15]

Major results

2016
UCI Junior World Track Cycling Championships
1st Team sprint
3rd Individual pursuit
2017
UCI Junior World Track Cycling Championships
1st Individual pursuit [a][16]
2nd Team pursuit
2018
Oceania Track Cycling Championships
1st Individual pursuit [17]
2019
UCI Track Cycling World Cup
3rd Team Pursuit (Hong Kong) [18]
2021
Tokyo Olympic Games
2nd Keirin
2022
Birmingham Commonwealth Games
1st Sprint[19]
1st Team sprint[20]
1st Keirin[20]
2nd Team pursuit[21]
2023
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1st Keirin[22]
3rd Sprint[23]
2024
Paris Olympic Games
1st Sprint
1st Keirin
2nd Team Sprint

Awards

Andrews won Secondary School Sportswoman of the Year at the February 2018 Waikato Regional Sports Awards. A week later, she won the Emerging Talent award at the Halberg Awards.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ In the qualifying round, Andrews clocked a 2:18.080 world junior record

References

  1. ^ a b "Elleese Andrews". at gc2018.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Cycling Track ANDREWS Ellesse – Tokyo 2020 Olympics". olympics.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  3. ^ Rollo, Phillip (5 August 2021). "'I can't stop crying': Ellesse Andrews wins silver medal in women's keirin". Stuff. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Ellesse Andrews | New Zealand Olympic Team". olympic.org.nz. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  5. ^ Geenty, Mark (6 August 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Silver medallist Ellesse Andrews' family party like it's 1999". Stuff. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Andrews sets world record on way to cycling gold medal". cyclingnewzealand.nz. 27 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d Goile, Aaron (24 November 2020). "Kiwi sprinter carrying family cycling pedigree into Olympic debut in Tokyo". Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Tokyo Olympics 2020: Cycling silver medallist Ellesse Andrews' proud family in tears after her performance". The New Zealand Herald. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  9. ^ "From Kerikeri to Invercargill: Where New Zealand's Tokyo Olympians went to school". Stuff. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Ellesse Andrews". Cycling New Zealand. 22 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  11. ^ Rollo, Phillip (6 August 2021). "'I can't stop crying': Cyclist Ellesse Andrews in shock after winning silver medal". Stuff. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Olympics: Ellesse Andrews wins gold in women's keirin". RNZ. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Olympics: Cyclist Ellesse Andrews bags second gold medal of Paris Games". RNZ. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Why Ellesse Andrews thinks NZ is so good at cycling". The New Zealand Herald. 11 August 2024.
  15. ^ ""I know she's here": Silver medallist pays tribute to late friend Podmore". The New Zealand Herald. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Women's Individual Pursuit – Qualifications" (PDF). UCI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  17. ^ "Women Elite Individual Pursuit Gold Final". OCC. Retrieved 22 February 2019.[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ "Women's Team Pursuit Finals". UCI. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  19. ^ "Cycling Track – Women's Sprint results". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  20. ^ a b "Birmingham 2022 Results". results.birmingham2022.com. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Commonwealth Games 2022: Ellesse Andrews fined and denied team pursuit silver medal for missing ceremony". Eurosport UK. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Ellesse Andrews creates history with keirin gold medal at world championships". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  23. ^ "Gold and bronze for NZ cyclists at World Champs". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ellesse Andrews.
Awards
Preceded by Halberg Awards – Emerging Talent Award
2017 		Succeeded by