Another day of top drawer Olympic track cycling as Denmark won the men's Madison in a thrilling race, while the men's Keirin got underway and the women's sprint competition continued.
Men's Madison
(Image credit: Getty)
What a welcome return the Madison event has been to these Games. Rather than the rout delivered by Great Britain in the women's event yesterday, the men's was a closely fought, tense affair.
Great Britain were out of the blocks the quickest, picking up early sprint points to take a slender lead in the opening stages, but started to tire as the race progressed, Denmark starting to assert their strength.
France then went on the attack, taking half a lap and scooping up sprint points to jump up into first, but unable to lap the field, soon brought to heel.
Denmark continued to control, getting into moves off the front, chasing others who countered, and all the time consistently picking up points to move into the gold medal position.
Then, a flurry of activity in the finale, Belgium and Italy going on the attack, brought back, before Britain countered, immediately taking out a large gap ahead of the final sprint, having done enough damage to secure maximum points in the final offering, moving up to second, but not enough to surpass the Danes. Michael Mørkøv becomes a popular gold medal winner as he spends most of his time on the road working for others to be on the top step of the podium, such as Mark Cavendish at this year's Tour de France.
Women's Sprint
(Image credit: Getty)
The 1/8 finals followed by the quarter finals were the order of the day for the women in their sprint competition.
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Brit Katy Marchant pulled off an incredible sweeping move down into the inside line to eclipse Canadian Lauriane Genest.
Genest would get her revenge in the repechages, however, ousting Frenchwoman Mathilde Gros, while Ukraine's Starikova won the other heat to be the final woman to make it through to the quarters.
In the last eight, Kelsey Mitchell won the first two of three races against her compatriot Genest, as did the German Hinze bested the Netherlands' Braspennincx.
Lee Wai Sze put on an assured performance to defeat Katy Marchant, the first bout fiercely competitive before Marchant tried to attack from the front in the second, but the Hong Kong rider got the better of her.
Starikova and Friedrich needed a decider, the German levelling the score after a superb opening sprint from the Ukrainian, and it was the eastern European who emerged victorious, leaving it very late before charging and just edging ahead to seal her place in tomorrow's semi-finals.
Men's Keirin
(Image credit: Getty)
Jason Kenny was up first in the opening heat, but despite leading from the front with three laps to go but he got swamped in the final lap, Germany's Max Levy and France's Helal the top two progressing straight through.
Jack Carlin was next, two riders in his heat crashing and meaning a replay was needed, Dutchman Matthijs Büchli receiving a warning for his manoeuvres.
The Netherlands' Harrie Lavreysen and Australia's Matthew Glaetzer were the two to watch out for in the next heat but both would have to settle for potential redemption in the repechages, as Japan's Yudai Nitta and ROC's Denis Dmitriev powered across the line first and second after Malaysia's Awang and Trinidad and Tobago's Paul had also qualified in the heat just before.
Japan's Yuka Wakimoto elicited a big cheer from the crowd as he crossed the line first in heat five, New Zealand's Callum Saunders following in second in this final heat, before the replay of Carlin's round.
The two fallen riders left only four on the start line, another crash bringing down Canadian Hugo Barrette, with Carlin easing to the win and Büchli second but relegated again for his movements on the track, Australia's Richardson getting his place instead.
Into the repechages and Kenny showed his class, besting Büchli who had looked ominous but just missed out as Germany's Bötticher took second.
Lavreysen didn't leave it to chance as he had in the opening round, hanging around the back of the pack as he failed to qualify without needing this additional race, taking a flyer on the last lap, gapping the others, with Suriname's Tjon En Fa also getting through in second.
Matt Glaetzer and Colombia's Quintero were the victors of the final repechages round ahead of tomorrow's final.
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Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
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