Bolton-born Jason Kenny tonight won a stunning sixth gold with a victory in the keirin in Rio, adding to the fantastic Team GB haul and reinforcing Manchester’s reputation as an Olympic medal factory.
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28-year-old Kenny went on to win the race, sealing his position as Britain’s joint most successful Olympian of all-time with his old teammate Sir Chris Hoy, with six golds and one silver medal.
With the victory, the 24-year-old clinched her second successive team pursuit and omnium double after she also won both events at London in 2012.
Australia came to Rio with realistic expectations of two or three gold on the track.
Team GB’s incredible performance in track cycling ended on a high after Katy Marchant secured herself a bronze medal in Rio. Riders are not allowed to pass the back wheel of the pacing bike before it has left the track.
Olympic starLaura Trott opened up on Good Morning Britain to reject claims that her sister Emma is jealous of her success in the Games, and about her “surreal” new celebrity status.
Usually the riders responsible are disqualified, but on Tuesday, after minutes of tense deliberation, the race was restarted with all six cyclists. “With them both being cyclists as well, it just helps to get other people in Cheshire excited about the sport in general, with the Tour of Britain just around the corner”.
Kenny’s win didn’t come without tension and drama though, as he had to go through the ordeal of a threat of a disqualification alongside eventual bronze medallist Azizulhasni Awang of Malaysia. It was his third triumph in Rio, having won in the team sprint and the men’s sprint before the keirin.
A fourth gold saw Trott move above Charlotte Dujardin in the British female Olympic golds reckoning after the equestrian rider won her third gold on Monday.
“I can’t believe I’ve done that”, she said of her fourth gold medal.
“After the first false start I was like, “Oh no” because even the sprint coaches didn’t know what the race jury was going to decide”.
Laura Trott – Gold in women’s omnium, gold in women’s team pursuit.
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Vogel beat James two heats to nil despite her saddle breaking in the home straight of the second heat.
