Cycling

WHEN Sean Eadie’s name was mentioned to him yesterday, Ben Kersten grimaced.

The grimace was not out of dislike for Eadie, it was out of the pain and frustration of being close, though not close enough yet again, to fulfilling his Olympic dream.

Eadie’s victory on Monday night at the Court of Arbitration for Sport where he was cleared of drug charges means that, for the second time in four years, Kersten is set to be denied a place in Australia’s team for the Olympic Games.

Kersten, 22, was named as Eadie’s replacement in the sprint cycling team when Eadie lost his place pending an investigation into the Customs seizure of illegal substances which were sent to him through the mail from San Diego in 1999.

The goal that has consumed Kersten since walking on to the Unanderra velodrome in Wollongong as a juvenile was so close. Now, it is slipping away for thesecond time.

As an 18-year-old, in 2000, Kersten accused officials of covering up incidents and took legal action against team-mate Darren Hill after a pre-Games training camp dust-up in the United States.

Kersten injured an arm, ribs, a leg and neck after being knocked off his bike by Hill at that camp in Colorado. Hill was fined $4000 and placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond by officials.

Kersten was subsequently left off the Olympic team but he appealed. Only weeks from the Sydney Games opening ceremony, his appeal was rejected.

Fast forward four years, to when the doping scandal surrounding disgraced team-mate Mark French broke. At the time, selectors told Kersten to “soldier on”, alone and away from the team which was in camp in Rockhampton, Queensland, as investigations were launched.

When Eadie was caught in the Customs net, Kersten was temporarily given his place.

After Eadie had those charges dismissed on Monday night, he was immediately granted leave to appeal against his omission from the Olympic team. That appeal will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Sydney this morning.

While Eadie filed in and out of lawyers’ offices, Kersten spent yesterday at the Sydney Olympic velodrome, training alone. His coach Terry Doherty said Kersten was “completely shattered”.

At the same hearing where Eadie will present his case for re- inclusion in the Olympic team this morning, Kersten’s legal representatives will put their case for his retention at Eadie’s expense.

“It is a long way yet,” Kersten said yesterday. “I am just going to continue training.”

Kersten said the decision regarding Eadie produced mixed feelings.

“I felt really happy for Sean, but knowing he’s now eligible for my spot is another feeling. I am not officially out right now,” Kersten said. “I am still in the team but we are preparing for the worst.”

Kersten said after the roller-coaster ride of the past four years — and in particular the past four weeks — he was becoming an expert at controlling his emotions.

“I never wished for Sean that it went the other way,” he said.

But Kersten said he hadn’t come this far to lose another appeal.

“I have got the spot at the moment,” he said. “I definitely deserve to be there, all my results prove that. I am used to being stomped on and pushed around.

“My day will come, hopefully this week. I’m appealing on merit, that I should have been there on my results. At the moment it is my spot, it will be up to the Court of Arbitration. I always thought it would have been resolved months ago.”

Kersten said he had considered quitting the sport after initially missing out on the 2004 Olympic team, but was determined to continue after receiving strong public support.

“I really considered chucking the towel in before, but people have stood up for me and don’t want me to stand down. That support is going to push me a lot further,” he said.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates weighed into the dilemma at yesterday’s final-team selection announcement by saying: “In the team we have distributed today you will note that we put `Sean Eadie or Ben Kersten’.

“We haven’t considered Ben Kersten’s nomination. We’ve noted his nomination is subject to the outcome of Sean Eadie’s appeal before CAS.

“If that matter is not concluded by the IOC deadline … we will select Ben Kersten subject to Sean Eadie’s appeal.

“We then would have up until the technical meeting of the sport two days before the competition commences to replace him pursuant to the award of thecourt.”

Coates said the AOC had until August 19 to finalise the men’s track squad.