Scot and Dutchman Jeffrey Hoogland won race each to take event to a decider Carlin, already on a yellow, then faced disqualification after crashing into rival But judges sided with the Brit and he produced gutsy display to nab a bronze
Team GB’s Jack Carlin has clinched a bronze medal in the men’s sprint at the velodrome after beating Dutch rival Jeffrey Hoogland across three dramatic races.
The Scot backed up his silver in the team sprint earlier in the week with yet another medal in Paris this afternoon but the contest was riddled with controversy.
After winning the first race, Hoogland tied it up in the second before Carlin collided with the Dutchman in the decider, leaving a nervous wait for the judges’ decision.
The Brit was actually lucky to make it to the latter stages of the event having gone into the bronze-medal match on a yellow card after a crash in an earlier round.
But the officials let him off and the Scot took full advantage in the decider to hold off Hoogland and go home with a bronze.
Team GB’s Jack Carlin has clinched a bronze medal in the men’s sprint
The Scot backed up his silver in the team sprint earlier in the week with yet another medal in Paris this afternoon but the contest was riddled with controversy
The first race in the best-of-three contest started at little more than a walking pace
As the pair sprinted towards the finish line, the Scot timed his gambit perfectly and crossed the line a split-second ahead of the Dutchman
Victory today acted as redemption for Carlin’s defeat at the hands of Hoogland’s Netherlands team in that gold-medal event on Tuesday.
The medal was Great Britain’s seventh in track cycling at this summer’s Olympics, equalling their tally in Tokyo three years ago.
The first race in the best-of-three contest started at little more than a walking pace as the two riders tried to suss each other out, the slow nature of the match adding to the suspense.
When Hoogland eventually made a dart for it, he gained an early advantage over his British opponent but Carlin showed he had left plenty in the tank for the final lap.
As the pair sprinted towards the finish line, the Scot timed his gambit perfectly and crossed the line a split-second ahead of the Dutchman.
This left Hoogland with a mountain to climb, requiring consecutive wins in the final two sprints to secure a spot on the podium.
Jack Carlin started the second contest out in front and the build up to the final lap was much quicker than the first race, with the Brit electing to keep up a quick pace.
But the fierce match was always bound to go to a tense decider and Hoogland duly followed the script, cruising past Carlin to win the race quite comfortably.
Carlin held his head in his hands after a collision seemed set to lead to disqualification
The officials let him off and the Scot took full advantage in the decider to hold off Hoogland and go home with a bronze
The Scot had to get himself ready for another shot at the decider after a long wait
Victory today acted as redemption for Carlin’s defeat at the hands of Hoogland’s Netherlands team in that gold-medal event on Tuesday
Once the final contest came round, two hours had passed since the pair’s first face-off and the race followed the cat and mouse theme of the first.
Then disaster struck for the Brit as he collided with Hoogland with just two laps to go in what seemed like an innocuous incident.
Carlin had gone into the bronze-medal match on a yellow card after a crash in an earlier round which saw him very fortunate to get into the next round.
There followed a tense wait for the judges’ call which eventually gave him yet another lifeline.
A resigned Carlin, who had his head in his hands after the crash, then had to take a few deep breaths and gear up for a re-run of the finale.
Starting ahead of the Dutchman, the Scot boldly attacked the all-important race and Hoogland seemed to be gaining momentum as the contest went on.
But Carlin held on during a tight final lap to win an unlikely bronze.
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Team GB’s Jack Carlin clinches BRONZE in men’s sprint – as cycling star follows up his silver in team sprint with another medal despite almost being disqualified for collision
Source link : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-13728397/Team-GB-Jack-Carlin-BRONZE-sprint-cycling.html
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Publish date : 2024-08-10 04:38:02
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