Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands celebrates after the cycling track men's keirin final for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
PARIS, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Harrie Lavreysen wrote his name in the history books on Sunday as he powered his way to his third gold medal of the Paris Olympic Games on the track at the cycling velodrome.
The Dutch rider produced a dominant ride to add another gold in keirin to the gold medals he had previously won in men's sprint and team sprint.
"It's incredible, this was my biggest dream to go for gold three times," said Lavreysen.
"I felt really strong the full week. This morning, I thought, 'It is possible' - but I needed to ride the perfect final, and I was really close to doing that," he commented, adding that he had always believed it to be possible.
"I had two golds and one bronze in Tokyo and I trained really, really hard to be strong every day. Between Tokyo and now, I won three times at the world championships, so I knew it was possible. But doing it is a different thing," explained the rider.
Lavreysen launched his sprint early in the six-lap race but had the speed and power to finish comfortably ahead of Matthew Richardson of Australia, who had to be content with silver, as he did after the men's sprint.
"We did the fastest keirin we've ever done in that final with a 9.3. That would have out-qualified 90 percent of the field on sprint day, so it just showed where the level was at and how hard we pushed each other," said the Australian rider.
His compatriot Matthew Glaetzer took bronze in the race after a crash on the final bend took out Britain's Jack Carlin, Shinji Nakano of Japan and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom of Malaysia to leave him crossing the line alone.
If Lavreysen is the hero of the men's sprinting, New Zealand's Ellesse Andrews can claim to be the best female rider on the velodrome track after her win in the women's sprint.
She beat reigning world champion Emma Finucane of Britain in the semifinal earlier on Sunday morning and then showed her dominance to win her first two sprints against German Lea Friedrich with a powerful display of sprinting.
"I feel like I'm living in a dream. I don't really know what to say. It's been a massive week, and I'm just so proud of how I've managed to carry myself to the end of the competition," said Andrews.
Andrews' win takes her medals total to three for the week and follows the silver she won in team sprint and the gold she took in women's keirin.
Friedrich took the silver medal, while Finucane beat Hetty van de Wouw of the Netherlands in the race for bronze and goes home from Paris with a gold and two bronzes.
"It's been sensational. This whole week has been such a rollercoaster of emotions... I left everything on that track," said the British rider.
Jennifer Valente of the United States won the final gold medal decided on the track as she enjoyed a relatively comfortable win in the women's omnium.
Valente, the reigning Olympic and world champion, was the strongest rider in the field and showed that when she won two of the four disciplines in the competition.
Valente's control of the race means the drama was behind her, with Daria Pikulik of Poland finishing second, and Ally Wollaston of New Zealand claimed bronze to add to her earlier silver in team pursuit.
"I didn't even know that I was in the bronze medal competition until maybe 10 laps to go. And I heard my name, and I looked up on the board. It was the first time I looked up and thought, 'Oh my god, yeah,'" said a happy Wollaston. ■
Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands celebrates after the cycling track men's keirin final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands celebrates after the cycling track men's keirin final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
Harrie Lavreysen (1st L) of the Netherlands competes during the cycling track men's keirin semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
Gold medalist Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand reacts during the victory ceremony of cycling track women's sprint at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Yibo )
Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand celebrates after the cycling track women's sprint final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Yibo )
Ellesse Andrews (L) of New Zealand and Lea Friedrich of Germany compete during the cycling track women's sprint final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Yibo )
Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand celebrates after the cycling track women's sprint final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
Ellesse Andrews (front) of New Zealand competes during the cycling track women's sprint semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)
Gold medalist Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand celebrates after the victory ceremony of cycling track women's sprint at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 11, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Yibo )
