Harrie Lavreysen had already established early authority in the semi-finals, with an imperious victory against Great Britain’s Jack Carlin. But his UCI Track Champions League rival, Australia’s Matthew Richardson was equally dominant against Jeffrey Hoogland (the Netherlands), to open a new chapter in his rivalry against Lavreysen.
The Dutch star made the most of his power, but also tactical skills, to push his way to his fourth Olympic Games gold medal, to go along with his 13 titles of UCI World Champion. In the final for bronze, it took three hard-fought races for Carlin to get the better of Hoogland.
“I was really waiting for this final,” an unleashed Lavreysen exclaimed. “Three days in a row, I tried to take it as easy as possible, I didn’t want to spend too much energy and then finally I could give it all on this track that is so quick. I felt really really really good today, my best day ever, but in the final, riding to 9’’4, I didn’t think it was possible.
“We’ve been so close on many occasions but I think Matthew [Richardson] is way better on a slow acceleration, so I tried to take him on the high speed and not the acceleration,” the Olympic Champion explained.
In the women’s Madison, Italian stars Chiara Consonni and Vittoria Guazzini took 7 points in the early sprints, 10 more late in the race, and most importantly, 20 more as they lapped the field to claim an emotional victory.
"At first we were a bit lost, but I didn't want to panic.” Guazzini said afterwards. “The Madison is long, I thought we shouldn’t kill ourselves and then finish fifth. It was do or die. It went well and we won the Olympic gold medal. We won it with our legs and heart. We were the strongest.”
"I have no words, I must thank Vittoria,” Consonni added. “In the first part we got a bit lost, in the second part she filled in. Thank you to everyone who believed in us.”
Great Britain’s Elinor Barker and Neah Evans (31 points) took the silver medal, after their countrywomen Katie Archibald and Laura Kenny won the title at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Dutchwomen Maike van der Duin and Lisa van Belle (28 points) also took a lap to add a bronze medal to the Netherlands’ tally in the velodrome.
Early in the afternoon, the qualifying for the women’s sprint delivered bang after bang on the fast track of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, that will also host the opening round of the UCI Track Champions League. New Zealand’s Shaane Fulton quickly established a new Olympic record of the 200m flying start (10’’281). The record was then beaten by the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw (10’’263), Japan’s Mina Sato (10’’198) and France’s Mathilde Gros (10’’182).
On the day after her gold medal in the keirin, New Zealand's Ellesse Andrews went even faster (10’’108) to beat the world record. Germany’s Lea Friedrich immediately bettered it (10’’029), with Great Britain’s Emma Finucane (10’’067) slotting herself in second position.
Results available here
