Eddie Dawkins rediscovered some of his best form to claim the sprint title at cycling's national track championships in Invercargill.
The Southland sprinter edged out Sam Webster in the third and deciding ride of the final on Sunday to deny the Aucklander the crown.
"Sam is really the leading force in matched sprinting in New Zealand and it was good to get one up on him," said Dawkins who went close to a new national record in qualifying with a time of 10.169sec.
"My sprint qualifying today was the fastest I have gone since 2009. I've been in a bit of a lull - I've been surprised that the team has kept me around. But I'm glad I'm on the way up again and in the right year."
While Dawkins missed a national record, Natasha Hansen grabbed one as she claimed the women's sprint title.
Her 11.219sec in qualifying was her second record-breaking ride of the championships after earlier setting a new mark in the 500m time trial.
She needed just two rides to defeat fellow Southlander Steph McKenzie in the final and is now eyeing the London Olympics.
"New Zealand has not had a female sprint programme. So now that we have got one with three of us on the programme we have come along in leaps and bounds as we are all pushing each other along and making us go faster and faster."
Southland's Tom Scully, badly hurt in a crash on the Tour of Ireland in 2010, claimed the points race crown.
He edged out Beijing Olympian Westley Gough by one point.
Commonwealth Games medallist Joanne Kiesanowski had an easier ride in the women's points race, winning by 11 points from Rushlee Buchanan.
NZN