Sarah Ulmer

Template:Short description Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox cyclist

Sarah Elizabeth Ulmer Template:Post-nominals (born 14 March 1976) is a New Zealand former competitive cyclist. She is the first New Zealander to win an Olympic cycling gold medal, which she won in the 3km individual pursuit at the 2004 Athens Olympics setting a world record.

After the 2004 Olympics, she held the Olympic, Commonwealth and World Championship Pursuit titles, and the records for those events.

Biography

Ulmer was born in Auckland, where she studied at the Diocesan School for Girls. Her grandfather Ron Ulmer was a track cyclist for New Zealand at the 1938 British Empire Games. Her father Gary was a national road and track champion.<ref name="Leader">Template:Cite news</ref>

Individual pursuit races

In 1994, she won the World Junior Championship and placed second at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada with a time of 3 minutes 51 seconds.

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she was seventh after qualifying 6th with 3m 43s.<ref name=SR>Template:Cite Sports-Reference</ref>

At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, she won the gold medal with 3m 41.7s.<ref name=CG1998>"1998 Commonwealth Games Track Competition Malaysia, Women's 3000m Pursuit" 16–19 September 1998 cyclingnews.com</ref>

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she qualified 4th with 3m 36.8s and came 4th after losing the ride off for third by 0.08 of a second.<ref name=SR/>

At the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, she won the gold and set a games record of 3m 32.4s.<ref name=CG2002>"Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit, Ulmer breaks Games record to win IP" Gerry McManus, cyclingnews.com 2 August 2002</ref>

In May 2004, she won the World Championship in Melbourne and set a world record of 3m 30.6s in qualifying.<ref name=WC2004>"World Track Championships 2004 Melbourne Australia, Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit qualifying, Ulmer takes world record" cyclingnews.com 27 May 2004</ref> At the Athens 2004 Olympics she broke the world record in qualifying with 3m 26.4s and took almost two seconds off that time to win the gold in the final with 3m 24.5s. Ulmer reduced the world record by six seconds. The silver and bronze medalists, Katie Mactier from Australia and Leontien Ziljaard-van Moorsel from the Netherlands, also went under the previous world record (3m 30.6s) in each of their three rides. They rode faster with each ride and rode 3m 27.6s and 3m 27.0s respectively in the finals.

In May 2010 at Aguascalientes, Mexico at an altitude of Template:Convert, American Sarah Hammer broke Ulmer's world record with a time of 3m 22.269s. As of September 2014 nine current world cycling records for distances of 4 km or less have been set at Aguascalientes.

The current world championship record of 3m 27.268s was set by fellow New Zealander, Alison Shanks in Melbourne in 2012.<ref>Track Cycling World Championships 2014 to 1893 bikecult.com. Retrieved 5 October 2014.</ref>

Other races

Ulmer did well in points races, winning a junior world championship and placing 3rd and 4th at senior world championships. She placed 2nd and 5th (twice) at Commonwealth Games.

After the 2004 Olympics she switched to road racing. The Cycling Archives website includes results for her competing in road races in the US, France, Australia, Belgium and Germany from 1999 to 2006.<ref name=CA> Template:Usurped cyclingarchives.com</ref>

Other information

Ulmer trained at the velodrome in Te Awamutu. Her home town is Cambridge. Ulmer has two daughters.<ref name="Leader"/>

In the 2005 New Year Honours, Ulmer was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to cycling.<ref>New Year Honours List 2005 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 2 January 2013.</ref>

Ulmer announced her retirement from cycling on 24 November 2007.<ref>Ulmer hangs up the bike TVNZ News, 27 November 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2012.</ref> She attended the 2008 Olympics as a mentor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2011, Ulmer signed up as an 'ambassador' for the New Zealand Cycle Trail.<ref name=ULMERTRAIL>Template:Cite news</ref>

Palmarès

Template:Div col

Source:<ref name=CA /><ref>Track Cycling - Sarah Ulmer the-sports.org</ref><ref name="Cnews" >An interview with Sarah Ulmer cyclingnews.com. 2003</ref><ref>Sarah Ulmer's Page kidsonbikes.co.nz</ref> All pursuits are 3 km individual, apart from two 2 km junior pursuits.

1993: 2nd Pursuit World Junior Championships (2km)

1994: 1st Pursuit World Junior Championships (2km); 1st Points Race World Junior Championships; 2nd Pursuit Commonwealth Games; 5th Points Race Commonwealth Games

1995: 1st Pursuit, National Championships; 2nd Points Race, National Championships; 3rd Sprint, National Championships; 2nd Pursuit, Australia National Championships; 1st Pursuit, Adelaide World Cup; 3rd Points Race, Adelaide World Cup; 1st Pursuit, Quito World Cup; 1st Pursuit, Tokyo World Cup

1996: 1st Pursuit, National Championships; 2nd Points Race, National Championships; 7th Pursuit Atlanta Olympics

1998: 1st Pursuit Commonwealth Games; 2nd Points Race Commonwealth Games; 2nd Pursuit, National Championships; 1st Points Race, National Championships

1999: 3rd Points Race World Championships<ref>"1999 World Track Championships Germany, Women's Points Race" cyclingnews.com 24 October 1999</ref>; 6th Pursuit, World Championships<ref>"1999 World Track Championships Germany, Women's Individual Pursuit" cyclingnews.com 21 October 1999</ref>; 2nd Pursuit, Texas World Cup; 2nd Pursuit, Cali World Cup

2000: 4th Pursuit Sydney Olympics; 8th Points Race Sydney Olympics; 1st Pursuit, Cali World Cup; 2nd Pursuit, Turin World Cup

2001: 1st Pursuit, Mexico City World Cup; 1st National Criterium Championships; 1st Stage 8 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin; 1st Stage 8 Tour de Snowy

2002: 1st Pursuit National Championships; 1st Points Race National Championships; 1st National Criterium Championships; 1st Pursuit, Sydney World Cup; 1st Scratch Race, Sydney World Cup; 3rd Points Race, Sydney World Cup; 1st Pursuit Commonwealth Games<ref name=CG2002/>; 5th Points Race Commonwealth Games<ref name=CG2002PR>"Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games Women's Points Race" cyclingnews.com 30 July 2002</ref>

2003: 4th Pursuit World Championships<ref>"2003 World Track Championships Germany, Women's Individual Pursuit" cyclingnews.com 2 August 2003</ref>; 1st Pursuit, Mexico World Cup; 1st Pursuit, Sydney World Cup; 3rd Points Race, Sydney World Cup; 3rd Scratch Race, Sydney World Cup; 1st Pursuit, National Championships; 1st Points Race, National Championships; 3rd 500m Time Trial, National Championships

2004: 1st Pursuit World Championships<ref name=WC2004/>; 4th Points Race World Championships; 1st Pursuit, Mexico World Cup; 3rd Scratch Race, Mexico World Cup; 1st Pursuit, Sydney World Cup; 1st Stage 4 Geelong Tour; 3rd Points Race, Sydney World Cup; 1st Pursuit Olympic Games; 6th Points Race Olympic Games