Shane Perkins (russian: Шейн Перкинс; born 30 December 1986) is an Australian and Russian (since 17 August 2017) professional
track cyclist.
Biography
Early life
Perkins was born in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, the son of
Daryl Perkins
Daryl Perkins (born 20 April 1943) is a former Australian professional track cyclist.
Biography
Perkins was born and lives in the state of Victoria, Australia. He was a sprint, tandem and six-day rider.
Perkins teamed with Ian Browne to win ...
. As a youngster, Perkins played cricket, football and basketball. He played basketball at a very high level aged 7 to 14, but did not enjoy it enough to continue. Perkins rode BMX for a short while and began cycling aged 13 in 1999 with his father, who had himself been a successful cyclist.
His first cycling club was the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club, and his first medal was won at the Victoria state championships at
Northcote, it was a gold medal in the sprint event, where he beat friend and rival
Michael Ford.
Within three months of taking up cycling, he had qualified to compete at the U15 Australian National Championships in Sydney, there he won two gold medals and broke two Australian records in the process. He went on to win 11 further National Championship titles between then and 2006, and broke another two Australian records.
He is an
Australian Institute of Sport and
Victorian Institute of Sport
The Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) is the government-funded sporting institute of the Australian state of Victoria. It provides high performance sports programs for talented athletes, enabling them to achieve national and international succe ...
scholarship holder.
2004: Junior World championships
In Los Angeles in 2004, Perkins became the sprint and keirin junior
World Champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
.
He tested positive for
methamphetamine following the Keirin final on 29 July, his case was heard in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in November 2004. The Court took into account extenuating circumstances, accepting that Perkins had used a stimulant inadvertently. A
Cycling Australia
Cycling Australia (CA), the trading name of the Australian Cycling Federation Inc, was the national governing body for bicycle racing in Australia, and represented the interests of affiliated cycling clubs and State federations. It covered the d ...
statement said: "In America Perkins purchased a nasal inhaler of the same brand he regularly uses in Australia without realising it contained a different active ingredient, namely methamphetamine, which is on the banned list," Perkins' suspension ran for six months, from 16 November 2004.
Commonwealth Games
Perkins was reselected to represent Australia at the
2006 Commonwealth Games in his hometown, Melbourne. He won a bronze medal as part of Australia's team sprint squad, becoming the youngest ever Australian cyclist to win a
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
medal.
He then went on to represent his country and claim the gold medal in the Men's individual sprint event at the
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...
in Delhi. His 2010 Commonwealth Games were not completely successful, however, as he was disqualified from the semifinal of the men's keirin.
Relegated to the 7-12 place race, he swore at the judges as he crossed the finishing line.
He later apologised and withdrew from the men's team sprint.
At the
2014 Commonwealth Games, he was part of the team that won the bronze medal in the men's team sprint.
London 2012
Perkins qualified for the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Perkins competed in the Men's Sprint, Men's Keirin, and Men's Team Sprint. He was part of the Australian sprint team that finished 4th, finished 5th in the keirin but won the bronze medal in the individual sprint.
Since 2015: Out of Australian team and acquirement of the Russian citizenship, first European medal
Since 2015, Perkins was not considered to be a candidate to the Australian international team, in particular, he missed the
2016 Summer Olympics. On 15 February 2017, it was announced that Perkins was in the process of acquiring Russian citizenship with the goal to race for the Russian team at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
.
In August 2017, Perkins was granted Russian citizenship. At the national championships, Perkins won gold with the Moscow team. He then won bronze in the individual sprint event, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion
Pavel Yakushevskiy. He beat
Alexey Tkachev in the bronze medal match. Perkins later also won gold in the keirin discipline.
Perkins debuted at the
European Championships in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, Germany. He participated in the team sprint and keirin event. His team consisting of
Pavel Yakushevskiy and
Denis Dmitriev
Denis Sergeyevich Dmitriev (russian: Денис Сергеевич Дмитриев; born 23 March 1986) is a Russian track cyclist. Specialising in the sprint events, Dmitriev's best result in international sports was winning a gold medal at th ...
took the fourth place after losing the bronze medal race to the Dutch. In the keirin event, Perkins won his first European silver medal, losing only to the German
Maximilian Levy.
Personal life
In February 2008, tension was brewing between Perkins and his rival for Olympic selection,
Ryan Bayley
Ryan Neville Bayley OAM (born 9 March 1982) is an Australian professional track cyclist and double Olympic gold medallist.
Biography
Born in Perth, Western Australia, Bayley started competitive cycling in 1997 at fifteen years of age. He is ...
. Both were deemed by the judges to be riding improperly at the Australian National Track Championships. Bayley crashed when Perkins moved down on him during a race, burning a hole in the back of his skinsuit. The relationship between the two riders was given another dimension, when Perkins announced his engagement to Bayley's younger sister,
Kristine Bayley.
Perkins and Kristine Bayley had a son, Aidan, in October 2008.
They were married in November 2009.
During
2018 Six Days of Berlin, his father
Daryl Perkins
Daryl Perkins (born 20 April 1943) is a former Australian professional track cyclist.
Biography
Perkins was born and lives in the state of Victoria, Australia. He was a sprint, tandem and six-day rider.
Perkins teamed with Ian Browne to win ...
who flew to watch him race was infected with
Meningococcal meningitis, which could cause permanent disabilities or death. A
GoFundMe
GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the be ...
fundraising campaign organized by
Six Day Series exceeded target of 20,000 euros under support of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
public. His father got cured for 6 weeks and returned to Australia for further recovery. He was grateful of the reception and decided to race again in
2019 Six Days of Berlin.
Major results
;2003
:1st Kilo,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
, Juniors
:1st Sprint,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
, Juniors
;2004
:1st Keirin,
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, Juniors
:3rd Team Sprint,
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, Juniors
:1st Sprint,
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, Juniors
:2nd Kilo,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
, Juniors
:1st Sprint,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
, Juniors
;2006
:3rd Team Sprint,
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, Los Angeles
:3rd Team Sprint,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
:2nd Keirin,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
:3rd Team Sprint,
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
:3rd Team Sprint,
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(with
Ryan Bayley
Ryan Neville Bayley OAM (born 9 March 1982) is an Australian professional track cyclist and double Olympic gold medallist.
Biography
Born in Perth, Western Australia, Bayley started competitive cycling in 1997 at fifteen years of age. He is ...
&
Shane Kelly
Shane John Kelly OAM (born 7 January 1972) is a former professional Australian track racing cyclist. Kelly specialized in the men's 1000 m time trial, commonly known as the Kilo. Kelly announced his retirement from international competition ...
)
:3rd Sprint, Oceania Games, Melbourne
:1st Team Sprint, Oceania Games, Melbourne (with
Scott Sunderland &
Joel Leonard)
;2007
:3rd Keirin,
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, Los Angeles
:3rd Sprint,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
:1st Team Sprint,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
(with
Mark French
Mark French (born 13 October 1984) is a retired Australian sprint track cyclist. He started cycling competitively relatively late, at the age of 15, in 1999.
Drug scandal
French is most recognised for the 2004 scandal where he was accused of ...
&
Joel Leonard)
:2nd Keirin,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
:1st Keirin,
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, Manchester
:3rd Team Sprint,
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, Manchester
:2nd Sprint, Oceania Championships, Invercargill
:3rd Keirin, Oceania Championships, Invercargill
;2008
:3rd Sprint,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
:1st Team Sprint,
Australian National Track Championships
The Australian National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age, gender and disability categories.
Men Senior
Team Pursuit
Team Sprint
Madison
Junior
...
(with
Mark French
Mark French (born 13 October 1984) is a retired Australian sprint track cyclist. He started cycling competitively relatively late, at the age of 15, in 1999.
Drug scandal
French is most recognised for the 2004 scandal where he was accused of ...
&
Shane Kelly
Shane John Kelly OAM (born 7 January 1972) is a former professional Australian track racing cyclist. Kelly specialized in the men's 1000 m time trial, commonly known as the Kilo. Kelly announced his retirement from international competition ...
)
:2nd Sprint,
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, Manchester
:1st Sprint,
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, Melbourne
;2009
:3rd Sprint,
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, Beijing
:1st Keirin Oceania Championships AUS
:1st Team Sprint Oceania Championships AUS
:1st Keirin Australian Championships SA
:1st Sprint Australian Championships SA
:1st Team Sprint Australian Championships SA
:1st Kilometre Time Trial Australian Championships SA
:1st Austral Wheelrace VIC
;2010
:1st Sprint,
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
;2011
:1st Keirin,
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
;2012
:1st Team sprint,
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
;2014
:3rd Team sprint,
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
;2017
:1st Team sprint, Russian Track Cycling Championships
:3rd Sprint, Russian Track Cycling Championships
:1st Keirin, Russian Track Cycling Championships
:2nd Keirin,
European Championships
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Shane
1986 births
Living people
Australian male cyclists
Cyclists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
Cyclists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia
Cyclists from Melbourne
Australian Institute of Sport cyclists
Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic cyclists of Australia
Olympic bronze medalists for Australia
Olympic medalists in cycling
Victorian Institute of Sport alumni
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
UCI Track Cycling World Champions (men)
Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling
Russian male cyclists
Naturalised citizens of Russia
Australian emigrants to Russia
Australian track cyclists
European Games competitors for Russia
Cyclists at the 2019 European Games
Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games