Paris 2024: Team GB's Jack Carlin and Hamish Turnbull crash out of keirin as Harrie Lavreysen lands golden hat-trick
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Updated 11/08/2024 at 14:08 GMT+1
Having already matched his medal haul of team sprint silver and individual sprint bronze from Tokyo 2020, Jack Carlin was going for gold in the men's keirin. But up against a stacked field that included the indomitable Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands, Carlin was involved in a worrying crash on the last lap of the final. Hamish Turnbull was forced to withdraw after crashing in the semi-final.
Watch as Lavreysen celebrates men's sprint gold medal in Paris
Video credit: TNT Sports
Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands won his third title of Paris 2024 and his fifth Olympic gold medal after crashes put paid to Team GB duo Jack Carlin and Hamish Turnbull's podium prospects.
You have to go back to Athens 2004 to find a non-British winner of the men's keirin after Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny went back-to-back twice.
And no male cyclist since British icon Hoy at Beijing 2008 has managed the sprint-triple of team, individual and keirin.
The enormity of what he had accomplished caught up with Lavreysen on the podium, who called the race his "quickest" ever.
“It’s incredible," Lavreysen told Eurosport. "It’s unbelievable. I didn’t want to think too much about three golds this morning. I wanted to see the keirin day as just one race.
“There were a lot of crashes, so in the semi-final I tried to stay ahead of everything. For the final, I think I positioned really well and I went full out. I think it was my quickest heat ever.
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Watch as Lavreysen clinches stunning sprint gold ahead of Richardson
Video credit: TNT Sports
“I’m not often emotional, but this got me. All the tension from a full week just drops off me at this moment.”
Lavreysen underlined his credentials as the best male sprinter of his generation with another dominant performance on the final day of the Games.
The man they call 'Hat-trick Harrie' after his astonishing triple at the world championships in 2020, once again lived up to his billing.
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As for Britain's medal hopes, Carlin found himself in fourth as the competitors entered the all-important lap four, and kept on the shoulder of Lavreysen with two laps remaining.
But a collision between Japan's Shinji Nakano and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom of Malaysia as the riders raced for the line was unavoidable for Carlin behind.
The Brit received treatment following the incident and was on his feet shortly after the conclusion of the race.
Australia's Matthew Richardson was clear of the carnage to secure silver and compatriot Matthew Glaetzer rode safely through from the back to take bronze.
Richardson was given a glimpse of gold with less than a lap remaining, but Lavreysen's speed and positioning was too strong for the Australian.
"I came with a lot of speed and got beside him [Lavreysen] with three quarters of a lap to go with momentum, so I thought this could be it, this is looking good," Richardson told Eurosport.
"He rode a really smart line to keep me wide going into the last corner, before he ducked down and that just washed off a bit of my speed and second was all it could be."
Earlier, Hamish Turnbull was forced to pull out of the final, contesting seventh place after also crashing out on the last lap of his semi-final.
Luca Spiegel had lost control of his bike and Turnbull swerved away to avoid the German, but only succeeded in losing grip himself high up on the banking.
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