GB Team Sprinters: 'We surprised ourselves with gold'
Great Britain trio set their second Olympic Record of the night to beat New Zealand in the final and take the gold medal
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner took the first track gold of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and twice set a new Olympic Record on the way to victory.
Despite being defending champions, the British trio were seen as outsiders for the event after lacklustre performances since London 2012.
"All of it was a surprise today, genuinely. We surpassed ourselves," said Jason Kenny about a win that delivered his fourth Olympic gold medal, and saw off world champions New Zealand in the process.
"We went into the finals with nothing to lose," he continued. "We left it on the track, and unbelievably it was enough to win the gold."
With a question mark over whether the team would perform given their showing in the years since the last Games, Kenny added: "We can't win the bloody worlds to save our lives, but we win the Olympics every time."
Read more from the Olympics
Chris Boardman: Great Britain's rivals must be thinking 'oh no'
Phil Hindes: They had to put a bigger gear on me to slow me down
Great Britain women's team pursuiters set new world record in Rio Olympics qualifying
Callum Skinner, who replaced Sir Chris Hoy in the line-up since London 2012, was under a lot of pressure to perform at the Olympics. This was especially the case as his times at the worlds were way down on his teammates.
When it mattered, though, he delivered and took Britain to victory.
"We just put everything on the final," Skinner said of their head-to-head with New Zealand. "After the world championships, we worked hard to bring it all together for the Games. We're very happy."
For Philip Hindes, the team came good when it mattered and the hard work has all paid off.
"Callum really stepped up," said Hindes. "Since the worlds we really pulled ourselves together. It's amazing to be able to step up again, to win a gold medal. We've all been working so hard."
New Zealand went into the event as favourites, but couldn't match Team GB in the run-off for the gold medal despite setting their own Olympic Record in between the two set by Kenny, Hindes and Skinner.
Sir Chris Hoy's Olympic memories
NZ's Edward Dawkins spoke of mixed emotions after the final: "Three were personal bests, one of them was an Olympic record. I'm gutted it's not gold, but it's what we had in the tank today."
Dawkins's teammate Sam Webster was also pleased with how his team did, but paid tribute to the British trio: "Couldn't be prouder [of his team's performance]. We had a great build-up, we set three personal bests, and we were beaten by a great team. Team GB were awesome, and they deserve to win."
Team GB's Kenny has the chance to add a fifth gold to his impressive career tally when he competes in the individual Track Sprint.
The early rounds start on Friday August 12, with the medals being decided on Sunday, August 14.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Jack Elton-Walters hails from the Isle of Wight, and would be quick to tell anyone that it's his favourite place to ride. He has covered a varied range of topics for Cycling Weekly, producing articles focusing on tech, professional racing as well as cycling culture. He moved on to work for Cyclist magazine in 2017.
-
-
History made: five talking points from the Tour de France Femmes
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift: Our key takeaways from the women’s Tour de France revival
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
‘If it’s not reviewed then it’s pretty criminal’ - Matt Bostock joins calls for urgent track barrier safety review
Bostock one of two riders hospitalised after velodrome incident at the Commonwealth Games 2022
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Katie Archibald leads after opening night of Track Champions League debut
Archibald leads the Endurance League after the first night of racing
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Great Britain make history on first day of Track Cycling World Championships
Three titles were awarded on the opening day, in the women’s scratch race and the men's and women's team sprints
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Katie Archibald crowned European scratch race champion in first race since Olympic success
Great Britain took gold in the women’s scratch on the opening night of racing at the European Championships in Switzerland
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
Elinor Barker reveals she won silver medal at Tokyo Olympics while pregnant
The British cyclist announced on social media that she is expecting her first child, revealing she was pregnant during the Olympics
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Roubaix to host 2021 World Track Championships.... but not the velodrome you're thinking of
The famous French town is more known for the 'Hell of the North' than track cycling
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
'I’ll make sure there’s a bike available if you think you’re good enough' - British Cycling boss responds to critics after Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Team GB was the best cycling nation in this year’s Games, matching the number of medals from London and Rio
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
'It was just too big an opportunity': Jason Kenny had nothing to lose in Keirin final before coming up with Olympic Gold
“Literally just before we rode off, I didn’t want to be on the front and I said to my coach, ‘if they leave the gap, should I just go?’"
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Jason Kenny wins seventh Olympic gold as he steals away to take Keirin title in Tokyo
The Brit put in an audacious attack, sprinting clear with three laps to go
By Jonny Long • Published