CYCLING -TRACK: Four years on from his Olympic debut in London as a nineteen-year-old where he contested only the men’s team event, Matthew Glaetzer grabbed fourth overall in the individual sprint in Rio.

In the bronze medal final Glaetzer, 23, - the seventh youngest in the field of 27 in Rio - met Russia’s Denis Dmitriev, 30, (RUS) for bronze at the Olympic Velodrome on Sunday.

“I was happy with how I raced, but not the result I came in here hoping for,” said Glaetzer, who couldn’t reverse the result from earlier this year which saw Glaetzer defeat the Russian in the semi-finals of the World Championships. Today, Dmitriev proved too strong for the South Australian as he took the win in two straight rides.

“At the end of the day I got beaten by a quicker rider both in the semis and the final.

“I have good legs, it is just that they have better ones, that’s just the way it goes.

“They are really impressive at the moment.”

The result was Glaetzer’s third fourth place from his three Olympic events contested to date after finishing fourth in the team sprint here in Rio and in London four years ago.

“I am not liking the number four to be honest, but I have to reset to get ready for the keirin in a couple of days.”

Glaetzer was one of the pre-race favourites after storming to worlds silver behind Jason Kenny (GBR) – who today claimed his second straight Olympic gold medal.

The third fastest qualifier Glaetzer progressed to the bronze medal final courtesy of a 1/8 win over Maximilian Levy, before easily accounting for Germany’s Joachim Eilers in two strong rides in the quarter-final match up.

Eventual silver medallist Skinner then edged Glaetzer in two rides in their semi-final, setting up the clash with Denis Dmitriev (RUS).

Glaetzer will have a rest day on Monday before the Tuesday’s men’s keirin competition.

In the omnium, ‘Mr Consistency’ Glenn O’Shea is looking to continue an impressive four year run that has seen him reach the omnium podium at every World Championship or World Cup event contested since finishing fifth in the London Games.

He opened his Rio campaign with an impressive ride in the opening event, a fourth in the 60-lap scratch race which was highlighted by Roger Kluge (GER) and reigning Olympic champion Lasse Norman Hansen (NED) taking a lap on the field. 

In the individual pursuit, O’Shea recorded the eleventh fastest time of the round (4:28.350) with Hansen taking a second win in an Olympic record time (4:14.982) to grab 20 points, but drop from fourth to sixth place overall on 54pts.  

In a major shock, event leader Hansen exited first in the third event – the elimination race, with O’Shea the ninth to depart.

This dropped O’Shea to seventh overall at the halfway mark on 76pts. France’s Thomas Boudat (106pts) leads Italy’s Elia Viviani (104pts) with Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish third (96pts).

The final three rounds - flying lap, time trial and points race – which will be held on Monday 15 August.

Less than twenty-four hours after her record setting bronze in the women’s keirin, reigning Olympic champion Anna Meares was back on the track as the women’s sprint competition got underway.

In the flying 200m sprint qualification, 2014 Commonwealth Games sprint gold medalist Stephanie Morton was eighth fastest in 10.875, while Meares (10.947) was just behind her teammate in ninth. 

The Great British duo of Becky James (10.721) and Katy Marchant (10.787) set the day’s benchmark.

It was a decorated 1/16 final, with Meares lining up against fellow four-time Olympian Simona Krupeckaite (LTU), with the Lithuanian knocking Meares into her first ever sprint repechage round at an Olympic Games. However the experienced Meares took the repechage win to progress to the 1/8.

Morton also found herself in the repechage round after Russia’s Anastasia edged her in their heat, with her Rio campaign coming to end after being pipped on the line by France’s Cueff.

“It’s a huge step up from the World Champs,” said Morton. “My first race was against someone who did 10.8 just like me and I didn’t really think it was going to be that deep so soon so it was on from the start.

“Whoever was going to have the best on the tactics was going to win. Unfortunately it was not my day. Maybe I needed a few more Weet-Bix in the bowl this morning.

“It was awesome though and I’m glad to have been a part of it.”

The women’s sprint continues on Monday and Tuesday.

Monday’s penultimate day of the track competition will feature the final three events of the men’s omnium, the first three of the women’s omnium competition and the women’s sprint round 1/8 and repechages.

Amy McCann
olympics.com.au