Team GB track sprinter Jack Carlin picks up fourth Olympic medal in contentious men’s sprint bronze battle

Group GB observe sprinter Jack Carlin has matched his medal tally from Tokyo 2020 after successful the battle for bronze within the males’s dash.

An unintentional error from Carlin within the tense closing race decider nearly put his medal hopes to mattress through disqualification, however the Brit heroically clung on within the restart to put on the rostrum.

A cagey begin within the first warmth gave solution to a frantic scamper for the road as Carlin caught up together with his opponent within the nick of time – simply 0.017s separated the Brit from the Dutchman.

The second race started in a lot the identical means, with Carlin intently eyeballing Hoogland earlier than setting off with a lap and a half to go.

This time Hoogland discovered sufficient observe to make the cross and arrange a tense third-race decider.

Carlin inadvertently turned sharply proper into the trail of Hoogland throughout a nerve-jangling opening, instantly holding his hand up in apology.

Carlin advised Eurosport: “My entrance wheel as I went up slipped out and I needed to lean in and it took me up additional than I wished to. Credit score to Jeffrey; he took that basically nicely. Hats off to him for that. He’s a very good sportsman.”

With Carlin already on a yellow card, there have been fears that the Brit could be disqualified and the Dutch group submitted an attraction to seal the bronze with out the necessity for a restart.

Their attraction was denied and in a dramatic closing dash for the road, Carlin held on to seal the bronze by barely a wheel.

Even after the race, the Netherlands submitted one other grievance with regard to Carlin straying above the purple sprinting line, which was once more turned down.

Up towards four-time Olympic champion and heavy-favourite Harrie Lavreysen within the semi-finals, Carlin was edged out in each races.

Averaging a scorching 75.5km/h within the first semi-final warmth, eventual title-winner Lavreysen initially held off Carlin’s problem by 0.068s earlier than taking the skin line to energy previous the Brit within the second.

However Carlin was not put down by the defeat, calling the occasion the “hardest” he had skilled in his profession.

“That was in all probability the toughest dash competitors I’ve ever completed mentally,” admitted Carlin. “Yesterday was actually powerful. It was fairly an elbows-out affair and I knew it was going to be like that.

“These are among the greatest bike riders on this planet and so they’re not afraid to try this. At this time, Harrie was means too sturdy. Essentially, I in all probability raced two of the most effective races I’ve ever completed towards Harrie and he nonetheless got here out on high.”

Carlin nonetheless has a possibility to seize that elusive gold, when he competes within the males’s keirin which begins on Saturday.

“I wouldn’t lie, I really feel a bit of higher of types the final couple of days,” he added later.

“I do not assume the event bought to me, I feel I simply was actually my expectations a bit of bit too excessive and that there was sort of nearly like I used to be simply attempting to recompose myself and managed to get there on the top.

“Handled it prefer it was the primary race that I’ve completed and the final race I’ve completed. Yeah, and I managed to get on high.”

The British rider emphasised his gratitude for his household coming to spectate, particularly following his ankle break on the Monitor Nations Cup earlier within the yr.

“They’ve supported me lots,” he stated. “It isn’t been a straightforward couple of months after what occurred in Canada and yeah, that is my help community.

Due to that, it has been large, and so they’ve bought me by means of to the beginning line right now. I feel somebody stated to me three months in the past after that, that I used to be going to get an Olympic medal within the dash when my purpose was group dash and keirin.

“I’d have bit a hand for it, so actually satisfied.”