Tokyo 2020: silver medals for GB in the team cycling

In the cycling team events, both the Team GB men’s and women’s teams won silver.

Jason Kenny won a record-equalling eighth Olympic medal in the team sprint, minutes after wife Laura took team pursuit silver.

The women’s team of Kenny, Katie Archibald, Neah Evans and Josie Knight performed strongly, but they were beaten by a dominant German side which set a phenomenal new world record of 4:04.242. The GB team won silver with a time of 4:10.607. In the bronze medal race, the USA took the medal.

Kenny said of her opponents: “Germany took everyone by surprise. We knew they were going to go fast, just not that fast.”

In the men’s sprint, Kenny, Ryan Owens and Jack Carlin lost their final to the Netherlands team, with a time of 44.589 to the Dutch 41.369, who consequently came away with gold. In the bronze medal race, Australia lost out to France, who took the medal with a time of 42.331.

After the race, Kenny said: “It was really good. We poured our heart into the second ride to get into the final and then rolled the dice. We knew we had ground to make up and I just had nothing in the final. I was rubbish but we tried so hard to get there. It’s really special. Every time you come back it gets harder.”

Jason Kenny now has six gold and two silver medals and shares the status of most decorated British Olympian with Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Laura Kenny is already the most successful British female Olympian with four golds and one silver, while equestrian rider Charlotte Dujardin is the most decorated with three golds, one silver and two bronze medals.

Should she win gold in the omnium or madison later in the week, Kenny will be the first British woman to have won an Olympic title at three Games.