Ellesse Andrews

Ellesse Andrews (born 31 December 1999) is a New Zealand racing cyclist. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Women's keirin, winning a silver medal.[2]

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
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoKeirin
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2023 GlasgowKeirin
Bronze medal – third place2023 GlasgowSprint
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamTeam sprint
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamSprint
Gold medal – first place2022 BirminghamKeirin
Silver medal – second place2022 BirminghamTeam pursuit
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 AigleTeam sprint
Gold medal – first place2017 MontichiariIndividual pursuit
Silver medal – second place2017 MontichiariTeam pursuit
Bronze medal – third place2016 AigleIndividual pursuit
Oceania Track Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 AdelaideIndividual pursuit
Gold medal – first place2020 InvercargillKeirin
Gold medal – first place2022 BrisbaneSprint
Gold medal – first place2022 BrisbaneKeirin
Gold medal – first place2022 BrisbaneTeam Sprint
Gold medal – first place2023 BrisbaneSprint
Silver medal – second place2023 BrisbaneKeirin
Silver medal – second place2023 BrisbaneTeam Sprint

She represented New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2020 Summer Olympics,[1] gaining a silver medal in the Keirin in the latter event.[3]

Early life

Andrews was born in Christchurch Women's Hospital at 23:45 on 31 December 1999, fifteen minutes short of the year 2000.[4] Her father is Olympic cyclist Jon Andrews, who represented New Zealand at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and 1992 Summer Olympics.[5] 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.[6] She has one younger sister, Zoe.[7]

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.[8]

Cycling career

Andrews started cycling competitively aged 14, initially mountain biking but she soon changed to track cycling.[6] 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.[9]

Andrews won four medals, including two gold at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships.[6] Competing in the Izu Velodrome, she won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics women's 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.[10]

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][11]
2nd Team pursuit
2018
Oceania Track Cycling Championships
1st Individual pursuit [12]
2019
UCI Track Cycling World Cup
3rd Team Pursuit (Hong Kong) [13]
2021
Tokyo Olympic Games
2nd Keirin
2022
Birmingham Commonwealth Games
1st Sprint[14]
1st Team sprint[15]
1st Women's keirin[15]
2nd Team pursuit[16]
2023
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
1st Women's keirin[17]
3rd Women's sprint[18]

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.[6]

Notes

References

Awards
Preceded by Halberg Awards – Emerging Talent Award
2017
Succeeded by