The records tumbled in the first day of competition in the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome as the medals were decided in both the men’s and women’s Team Sprint, along with the qualification round of the men’s Team Pursuit. There was some drama however, as the Great Britain pair of Victoria Pendleton and Jess Varnish were disqualified from their first round ride due to an illegal changeover.
Gold number five for Sir Chris as Great Britain defends men’s Team Sprint crown
Great Britain dominated the men’s Team Sprint from start to finish as the host nation successfully defended its Team Sprint crown, won four years ago in Beijing. The trio of Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Sir Chris Hoy qualified fastest in the first session, to set a new Olympic record of 43.065 seconds for the three lap race.
In the second round, as Great Britain rode off against Japan, the trio set a new World record of 42.747 to set up a final encounter with the French team of Kevin Sireau, Michael D’Almeida and Grégory Baugé, who had been consistently second fastest. The French had been the favourites for victory, but Great Britain went faster still in the gold medal match, cutting its new world record by a further tenth of a second, to finish in 42.600, which was 0.413 quicker than France.
The gold medal was Hoy’s fifth in all, to add to his three from Beijing, and one from Athens 2004.
The ride off for the bronze medal was between the German trio of Rene Enders, Robert Forstemann and Maximilian Levy, and the Australian World champions Matthew Glaetzer, Shane Perkins and Scott Sunderland. Despite the Australians having qualified third fastest, and the German’s only fifth, Germany took the medal with a time of 43.209, which was 0.146 quicker than Australia.
Result men’s Team Sprint
1. Great Britain (Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy)
2. France (Kevin Sireau, Michael D’Almeida and Grégory Baugé)
3. Germany (Rene Enders, Robert Forstemann and Maximilian Levy)
4. Australia (Matthew Glaetzer, Shane Perkins and Scott Sunderland)
Germany takes inaugural women’s Team Sprint as local heroes disqualified
The German World champion duo of Kristina Vogel and Miriam Welte took the inaugural women’s Team Sprint title, despite only qualifying third fastest. They beat the Chinese team of Gong Jinjie and Guo Shuang, who actually rode the two laps in a faster time, but found themselves relegated to the silver medal after they performed their changeover outside the required area.
The Chinese disqualification was not the first of the day, as local favourites Jess Varnish and Victoria Pendleton - the Sprint champion from Beijing - also botched their changeover in the first round ride off against the Ukrainian due Lyuobov Shulika and Olena Tsyos.
China had qualified the fastest, breaking the World record that had been set a few minutes earlier by Great Britain, with a time of 32.447. The bronze medal was taken by Australian former World champions Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch, beating the Ukraine, who had advanced to the medal ride off at the expense of Great Britain.
Result women’s Team Sprint
1. Germany (Kristina Vogel and Miriam Welte)
2. China (Gong Jinjie and Guo Shuang)
3. Australia (Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch)
4. Ukraine (Lyuobov Shulika and Olena Tsyos)
Great Britain breaks its own World record yet again in men’s Team Pursuit qualification
The Great Britain quartet of Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh smashed the World record that it set in taking the World championships back in April, beating it by more than three-quarters of a second to set a time of 3:52.499. The host nation was more than three seconds quicker than the next best time of 3:55.694, set by its big rival Australian team of Jack Bobridge, Glenn O’Shea, Rohan Dennis and Michael Hepburn.
The New Zealand team of Sam Bewley, Westley Gough, Marc Ryan and Sesse Sergent was third fastest, with 3:57.607; the Danish team of Lasse Norman Hansen, Michael Mørkøv, Rasmus Christian Quaade and Casper Von Folsach was fourth, with 3:58.298, as the first five teams went below the four minute mark.
Result men’s Team Pursuit qualifying
1. Great Britain (Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh)
2. Australia (Jack Bobridge, Glenn O’Shea, Rohan Dennis and Michael Hepburn)
3. New Zealand (Sam Bewley, Westley Gough, Marc Ryan and Sesse Sergent)
4. Denmark (Lasse Norman Hansen, Michael Mørkøv, Rasmus Christian Quaade and Casper Von Folsach)