Hoy may miss out on sprint

Four-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy could yet be denied the opportunity to defend one of his three Games titles in London after Jason Kenny defeated his room-mate in the sprint semi-final at the Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne yesterday.

Kenny – Olympic silver medallist in Beijing behind Hoy - claimed a 2-0 victory before finishing second to France’s Gregory Bauge, who appears to be the biggest obstacle to British success in August. Hoy salvaged the bronze with a 2-0 success over Australia’s Shane Perkins.

Under the one rider or team per nation per event rule, either Hoy or Kenny will miss out on the sprint in London, with the 36-year-old Scot anticipating the decision will now be made by British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford, head coach Shane Sutton and sprint coaches Jan van Eijden and Iain Dyer in the bowels of the Manchester Velodrome. Hoy said: “There won’t be any more racing between us – I don’t think they’ll do any in-house races either. The racing has finished.

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“It’s going to be a tough one for the selectors. If Jason had won tonight it would have been a no brainer.

“There were five selection events of which I won three – but this was by far the most important.

“We’ll have to wait and see, whatever decision they come up with I’ll be behind it 100 per cent. I won’t question what the decision is.”

Prior to the World Championships the duo, who share the same birthday, 12 years apart, each indicated their belief Melbourne would have a significant bearing on Olympic selection. They have met five times since September – at the British Championships, the European Championships, Track World Cup events in Kazakhstan and London and in Melbourne. “Every race this year leading up to the Olympics has been important,” Kenny, 24, said. “We’ve both shown we can still race at a good level, finishing second and third.

“There was nothing between us in the actual race – the first one went down to a tyre’s width. There’s not a lot more I can do now than go home, concentrate on getting quicker and what will be will be selection-wise. We’ll just see what happens.”

Hoy anticipates the call will be made sooner rather than later. “They will announce it to us fairly soon, then we’ll know and can target the events we’re riding,” he added.

“They won’t leave it late in terms of telling us what we’re doing, because in my opinion it wouldn’t be the best approach. Once the dust has settled they’ll let us know and we’ll abide by that decision.”

Hoy, who is set to ride in the keirin and team sprint in London, is frustrated by the one-rider rule. “The sprint competition tonight was I think one of the best ever,” he added. “It’s a shame that you’ve got in the last eight, four athletes who won’t be in the Olympic Games. But the decision was made and that’s life. You’ve got to imagine the 100-metres final in athletics with one Jamaican, one American – I believe the best athletes in the world should be there, no matter which country they’re from.”

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Meanwhile, the irrepressible Laura Trott was triumphant as Great Britain won medals of all three colours on the penultimate day of the championships in Melbourne in a promising show of force ahead of the London Olympics.

The 19-year-old from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire – a team pursuit world champion and world record setter on day two – claimed her first individual crown.

“I think I’m setting myself up well for London,” Trott said. “I’m pretty shocked. The world record and World Championship in the team pursuit would’ve been enough for me. To come here and win the omnium I’m just over the moon. I didn’t expect to win. I thought maybe I would pick up a medal, because I had been in the World Cups, but to win – what more can I ask for?”

The performance suggested Trott, who will be 20 on 24 April, can win Olympic gold in the event in August.

Trott finished second in the flying lap, eighth in the points race and won the elimination race yesterday, before today placing third in the three-kilometre individual pursuit and 13th in the scratch race, marking eventual runner-up Annette Edmondson of Australia throughout.

A win in the final event, the 500m time-trial, sealed overall victory.

Trott’s unbeaten run in the omnium’s final event dates back to December 2010, but she believes her performance in the penultimate discipline was the key to her success.

“It’s such a hit-or-miss race, you never know what’s going to happen,” Trott, who finished one place ahead of Edmondson in the scratch race, said.

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“My tactic was just to follow the Australian around all day long and when she started to move just make sure that I nipped her on the line. It was a closer race than I wanted it to be. In the 500 I just did what I always do. I nailed it. Too many girls just pussy-foot around. I just get stuck in.”

Trott has always been proficient against the clock, but has been analysing video of bunch races with coach Paul Manning to improve in the less predictable disciplines.

She emulated her success at February’s London Track World Cup in the elimination race and secured a best points race result as she secured overall victory by three points from Edmondson, with Sarah Hammer of the United States five points further adrift in third.

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