Jason Kenny has become the first British athlete to win seven Olympic gold medals after a masterful, front-riding victory in the men’s keirin final.
Kenny, who was already Britain’s most successful Olympian ever, with six golds - the same number as Sir Chris Hoy - and two silvers, claimed his ninth medal in all as he stole a march on the field three laps from home and never looked back.
The 33-year-old had been part of the men’s sprint team that won silver earlier in the week, beaten by the imperious Dutch outfit, and then failed to get amongst the medals in the individual sprint, where teammate Jack Carlin took bronze.
However, Kenny’s experience and tactical astuteness came to the fore in the keirin, which sees six riders racing on the track at once.
He had won his semi-final, from which Carlin failed to advance after finishing fourth, and then in the final delivered a scarcely believable effort as he surged clear of the pack the moment the derny bike pulled off and it quickly became apparent they had left themselves too much to do.
Malaysia’s Mohd Azizulhasni eventually crossed the line in second, more than three-quarters-of-a-second behind the Brit, with Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen, the world champion who had been looking to complete a sprint treble, taking the bronze.
The victory was Kenny’s second in succession in the event, having also taken gold in Rio, where it was he that achieved the aforementioned treble, taking the team and individual sprint titles as well.
He also won those two events in London and the team sprint in Beijing, alongside Hoy, who reacted to his former teammates success as a pundit for the BBC.
“I have never seen a race like it, to watch the guy at the front ride off into the distance, it was just incredible,” he said.
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“He gained a bit of height, kept the pressure on the pedal and he just went for it. It was never in doubt. An absolutely awesome performance.”
