Gabriella Arnold, the Bermuda cyclist, turned in another impressive display against a formidable field at the United States Collegiate Track National Championships in Indianapolis yesterday.

The Marian University freshman, who is making her debut at these championships, placed 26th out of 39 cyclists competing in the women’s three-kilometre individual pursuit final.

Arnold’s performance arrived fresh on the heels of an equally impressive sixteenth-place showing in the sprint discipline the previous day.

Making Arnold’s performances at the championships all the more impressive is that she has very little experience competing in track events.

“Until she went to college, she had never ridden on a track, so she has less than two months experience riding on the track, which is very different from the road, so it is all new to her,” Peter Dunne, the Bermuda Bicycle Association president, said. “But she seems to be taking to it and is enjoying it, and I am very impressed with what she is doing.

“She started at the very bottom end and seems to be doing very well taking to the track, which is exciting for us.”

Arnold was accepted into one of the most prestigious collegiate cycling programmes in the US on a cycling scholarship this summer. “The programme that she is in at Marian is very advanced,” Dunne added.

Arnold will be in action again today in the 500 metres time-trial.

After the championships, the promising cyclist will rejoin her Bermuda team-mates ahead of next week’s Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships in Suriname.

She has claimed one gold medal and three bronze medals in three appearances at the event. Tristan Narraway, Justin Ferreira, Daniel Oatley, Shomari Steede, Tyler Smith and Christian Oatley make up the rest of the Bermuda team that departs for the Caribbean on Thursday.