Lucy Tyler-Sharman
Encyclopedia
Lucy Tyler-Sharman is an Australian Olympic and World Champion cyclist.
As a junior, Tyler was an gifted sportswoman, focussing on swimming
at junior high school and later triathlon
s. She moved into criterium
events while living in Florida
and in 1988 made the move to velodrome
events. In 1990 she trained and raced in Australia, initially living in New South Wales
. During this period she married track rider Martin Vinnicombe
. The pair were training at the Trexlertown Velodrome facility in Pennsylvania in 1991, when Canadian drug testers at the request of their Australian counterparts recorded a positive drug test for Martin Vinnicombe. This ended Martin's career but the following year Lucy took up Australian residency and in the 1993 national championships in Alice Springs represented the state winning the sprint and 10 km scratch race.
In 1994 she won an Australian Institute of Sport
scholarship as a sprinter and represented Australia in the World Championships in Sicily
finishing fourth. The following year she competed in the World championships in Colombia
recording ninth place in the individual pursuit and 19th in the sprint. She married Western Australian cyclist Graham Sharman in May 1995 and moved to Western Australia
National coach Charlie Walsh
convinced her to move to full-time track endurance events in December 1995. An expected good result at the February 1996 national titles in Perth
were derailed when she suffered a severe asthma attack during the points race. She was subsequently beaten by Kathy Watt
in the 3000m individual pursuit.
Shortly after, Watt was given a guarantee that she would ride in the Atlanta Olympics
, with a proviso that the selection would be reviewed if another Australian rider posted a world-class time in the lead-up. Tyler-Sharman obliged during training in Germany by improving on Watts' 3000m national record by 5 seconds and moving to within 0.2 seconds of the world record. Watt was subsequently replaced by Tyler-Sharman, and a controversial legal battle ensued in which Watt was reinstated by appeal. Watt managed eighth in Atlanta while Tyler-Sharman watched from the stands. She missed selection in the pursuit, but did however compete in the 24 km points race, winning bronze.
The World Championships in Manchester
in late 1996 saw her set a world record in qualifying and win silver in the final behind Marion Clignet
.
Further national and international meets included winning the individual pursuit and time trials at the 1997 Oceania Championships in 1997, and winning a second national pursuit title. In Canada in 1998 she won pursuit and points races and she won gold in the pursuit in the World Cup in Berlin
.
In the 1998 World Championships in Bordeaux she posted the fastest time in qualifying for the pursuit and in the final managed a time of 3:35.25 becoming the world champion.
At the 1998 Commonwealth Games
in Kuala Lumpur
she was beaten in her individual pursuit semi-final ride after which she launched a public verbal tirade against team management and Charlie Walsh
, suggesting that her prospects had been sabotaged by being forced to use unfamiliar pedals. The outburst saw her sent home, unable to compete in the ride-off for bronze. Tyler-Sharman is the only Australian athlete ever sent home from a Commonwealth Games meet.
In the lead-up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the Australian Sports Commission
controversially funded her return to competition to compete at the National Track Titles.
She now coaches in Pennsylvania
under her maiden name.
As a junior, Tyler was an gifted sportswoman, focussing on swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
at junior high school and later triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
s. She moved into criterium
Criterium
A criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course , often run on closed-off city center streets....
events while living in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and in 1988 made the move to velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
events. In 1990 she trained and raced in Australia, initially living in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. During this period she married track rider Martin Vinnicombe
Martin Vinnicombe
James Martin Vinnicombe is a retired Australian track cyclist who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, winning a silver medal in 1000 metres time trial. He tested positive for steroids in 1991...
. The pair were training at the Trexlertown Velodrome facility in Pennsylvania in 1991, when Canadian drug testers at the request of their Australian counterparts recorded a positive drug test for Martin Vinnicombe. This ended Martin's career but the following year Lucy took up Australian residency and in the 1993 national championships in Alice Springs represented the state winning the sprint and 10 km scratch race.
In 1994 she won an Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
scholarship as a sprinter and represented Australia in the World Championships in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
finishing fourth. The following year she competed in the World championships in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
recording ninth place in the individual pursuit and 19th in the sprint. She married Western Australian cyclist Graham Sharman in May 1995 and moved to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
National coach Charlie Walsh
Charlie Walsh
David Barry Vivian Walsh, better known just as Charlie Walsh, was the national coach for the Australian Cycling Federation at the Australian Institute of Sport from 1980 to 2001. He oversaw Australia's rise from between 20th and 30th in world track cycling to number one in 1993 and 1994...
convinced her to move to full-time track endurance events in December 1995. An expected good result at the February 1996 national titles in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
were derailed when she suffered a severe asthma attack during the points race. She was subsequently beaten by Kathy Watt
Kathy Watt
Kathryn Ann Watt is an Australian racing cyclist who won two medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain ....
in the 3000m individual pursuit.
Shortly after, Watt was given a guarantee that she would ride in the Atlanta Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, with a proviso that the selection would be reviewed if another Australian rider posted a world-class time in the lead-up. Tyler-Sharman obliged during training in Germany by improving on Watts' 3000m national record by 5 seconds and moving to within 0.2 seconds of the world record. Watt was subsequently replaced by Tyler-Sharman, and a controversial legal battle ensued in which Watt was reinstated by appeal. Watt managed eighth in Atlanta while Tyler-Sharman watched from the stands. She missed selection in the pursuit, but did however compete in the 24 km points race, winning bronze.
The World Championships in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in late 1996 saw her set a world record in qualifying and win silver in the final behind Marion Clignet
Marion Clignet
Marion Clignet is a French former track cyclist. Clignet was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 22 and was shunned by the United States Cycling Federation, and she subsequently raced for France.- Palmarès :...
.
Further national and international meets included winning the individual pursuit and time trials at the 1997 Oceania Championships in 1997, and winning a second national pursuit title. In Canada in 1998 she won pursuit and points races and she won gold in the pursuit in the World Cup in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
In the 1998 World Championships in Bordeaux she posted the fastest time in qualifying for the pursuit and in the final managed a time of 3:35.25 becoming the world champion.
At the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
she was beaten in her individual pursuit semi-final ride after which she launched a public verbal tirade against team management and Charlie Walsh
Charlie Walsh
David Barry Vivian Walsh, better known just as Charlie Walsh, was the national coach for the Australian Cycling Federation at the Australian Institute of Sport from 1980 to 2001. He oversaw Australia's rise from between 20th and 30th in world track cycling to number one in 1993 and 1994...
, suggesting that her prospects had been sabotaged by being forced to use unfamiliar pedals. The outburst saw her sent home, unable to compete in the ride-off for bronze. Tyler-Sharman is the only Australian athlete ever sent home from a Commonwealth Games meet.
In the lead-up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the Australian Sports Commission
Australian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
controversially funded her return to competition to compete at the National Track Titles.
She now coaches in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
under her maiden name.