Hoy back on the right track with a trio of titles

SIR CHRIS Hoy completed a hat-trick of national titles yesterday at the Manchester Velodrome, winning the team sprint to round off a perfect weekend. His domestic sprinting rivals, including the revelation of the weekend, Dave Daniell, the Beijing sprint silver-medallist Jason Kenny, and Hoy’s fellow Scot, Ross Edgar, spent the three days snapping at his heels, but they got no closer than that.

With exactly three hundred days and - for Hoy - just four races between now and the London Olympics, the 35-year old Scot has conclusively reclaimed his position as the country’s number one.

He would never admit it, but he may feel some relief at that. A year ago, Hoy wobbled. He was beaten by the young challenger, Kenny, who reversed the result of the Beijing final by winning the sprint. Now, though, it is Kenny who appears to be wobbling, while Hoy appears set on a straight, steady course to London, and, perhaps, to a defence of all three of his Olympic titles.

As Hoy put it: “There’s a long way to go before London but that’s the first box ticked. If I win every race between now and the Olympics then I’ll be the one who gets the position - there are no arguments then. But a lot can change, there’s a long time to go, and I’m not thinking too far ahead.”

Hoy was a convincing winner of Friday’s keirin and Saturday’s sprint, and he joined Jason Kenny and Jason Queally, the 41-year old 2000 Olympic gold medallist making a comeback at these championships, in yesterday’s team sprint. Matt Crampton also rode, in the first of the three rounds, before Queally slotted in, riding as man three in the semi-final, with Hoy as man two, before they swapped positions for the final.

They won, beating a team that included Edgar and Daniell, and yet, while Hoy could be said to be in pole position for the other two events, the team sprint is the one that throws up all kinds of questions. The permutations are endless, with Edgar, for example, in the silver medal-winning team, but going faster, over the opening lap, than Kenny.

Edgar is staking his entire Olympic dream on this event. For the six months since the world championships he has focused virtually exclusively on claiming the man one position in the team sprint. To do so, he would have to dislodge Kenny, who performed the role to such devastating effect in Beijing. Edgar has not been selected for the European championships, being held in Apeldoorn in three weeks, but hopes to get his chance at the opening World Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan, in early November.

Edgar certainly enhanced his prospects yesterday by going quicker than Kenny in this three opening-lap efforts. “I’m happy with that,” he said. “It’s really encouraging, because the 17.64-second lap I did in the semi-final is the best lap I’ve ever done. All I can do is perform in the races and push for the man one place, but after today I’m feeling more confident about it.”

Hoy said he was unconcerned by the uncertainty over the personnel for the team event. “It’s better to have a settled team going into the Olympics, but at this stage we’re so far out. And if you look at Beijing, Jason Kenny wasn’t part of the team until after the world championships: he only came in in the last couple of months. So anything could happen.”

The weekend, said Hoy, was “at the top end of my expectations. It’s not a huge surprise because my training performances have given me a good idea of where I am. I’m not fresh - I’ve just done a big training block - but it’s encouraging.”

The selection criteria for London have not been publicised, but Hoy said: “We all know how the team will be selected. The criteria are laid out, and we all know where we stand.” And after round one, Hoy appears to be standing exactly where he wants to be.