Tom Sexton capped the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai with a silver medal in the scratch race, adding sixth in the 40km points race and seventh in the elimination race to complete a hat-trick of top-10 performances.

The Southland rider led New Zealand's performances on the final day of the championships. Teammates George Jackson and Keegan Hornblow were seventh in the two-rider madison. In the women's events, Bryony Botha finished 11th in the points race and Ellesse Andrews 11th in the keirin.

In key Olympic events, the New Zealand women's team pursuit finished fifth, the men's sixth, the women's madison fourth, and the women's team sprint sixth.

Cycling New Zealand high performance director Ryan Hollows said the squad is going through a significant rebuild phase after the Paris Olympic Games.

"A key is to secure qualifying points for Los Angeles, and for some in this squad, it was also to experience a world championship. The team has achieved strong points at the championships, especially in the team pursuit for both men and women.

"It has been an important experience for many of the team, given some key riders were unavailable or had compromised build-ups."

Hollows said there is still a lot of work ahead but expressed confidence in the programme's direction.

"We have nearly two years to Los Angeles. There is a lot of hard work to do but we are confident we are building a competitive programme towards the Olympics."

The women's endurance team will be bolstered next year with the return of Ally Wollaston, who has undergone surgery on her knee.

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