Upper Sixth Former and Commonwealth Games cyclist, Ethan Vernon, has set a new world record in the U19 Male Junior 3km Individual Pursuit, on the first day of the HSBC UK National Youth and Junior Track Championships, which began on Sunday 23 July.
Ethan, who is still just 17 years old, stopped the clock at 3:10.121 in qualification – over six seconds clear of his nearest rival and obliterating the world record by two and a half seconds – a time which is a staggering 15 seconds faster than Sir Bradley Wiggins’ personal best. Ethan went under the world record mark again in the final, crossing the line at 3:10.371 to win gold and defend his title as National Champion.
Ethan, who narrowly missed a Commonwealth bronze medal by just a split second in the Team Pursuit, told us back in January, “My main aim this year is to break the world record in the individual pursuit, then on to the World Championships at the end of August. This is all part of my journey to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.”
So far his plan to get to Tokyo is right on track as he has been selected to race with the GB cycling team at the World Championships in Switzerland next month.
Many congratulations to Ethan and we wish him the best of luck in Switzerland.