Commonwealth Games: Jack Carlin takes silver in men's sprint

Scotland's Jack Carlin, left, loses the sprint final to Sam Webster of New Zealand. PICTURE: PA

The 20-year-old from Paisley has enjoyed an incredible breakthrough 2018 and worked his way through the rounds to the final, seeing off Australia’s Jacob Schmid in the semi-finals. There was disappointment for Scotland when Olympic gold and silver medallist Callum Skinner withdrew after taking ill overnight.

Webster proved too strong in the final as he won the opening two heats of the final against Carlin, who also won silver at last month’s world championships in Apeldoorn.

Earlier in the day, Australia’s defending champion Matthew Glaetzer, who beat Carlin in that world final five weeks ago, suffered a shock defeat to Malaysia’s Muhummad Sahrom in the 1/8 finals, having set a new Commonwealth Games record in the first round.

Carlin had displayed greater speed than his Kiwi rival in the previous rounds but Webster’s greater experience told. The Scot erred in the first of the best-of-three clash by staying too low and was picked off. He gave a much better performance in the second but was pipped on the line by a whisker.

“Hats off to him he was the better rider on the day,” said Carlin. “I think he did better to conserve energy better through the day. I’m disappointed.”

When it was put to him that world and Commonwealth silvers made for a pretty good couple of months, Carlin replied: “Yeah but it’s not first, though. But I suppose it is a sign of good things to come.”