Hoy regains world keirin title

Britain’s four-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy reclaimed his world keirin crown after a dominating display in the final of the men’s event at the world track cycling championships Thursday.

Malaysia’s Azizulhasni Awang claimed the silver with defending champion Maximilian Levy of Germany placing third for the bronze.

Hoy’s victory means he now has a British record of 10 world titles.

The 33-year-old Scot could only claim bronze in the men’s team sprint on Wednesday, a result which may have left some rivals hoping he was slightly off form.

But after overcoming some early round jitters, Hoy displayed unbeatable strength to win the keirin gold for a third time.

Having won his first individual gold, in the kilometer, at Copenhagen in 2002, he now has an all-time British record of 10 world track titles.

As a bonus, he helped lift some pressure from a British team which, until Thursday, had won no golds to Australia’s four from eight finals over two days of competition.

“I’m over the moon, it was such a hard-fought victory,” said Hoy, who was forced out of the championships last year due to injuries sustained in a keirin crash in Copenhagen. “Last year I was sitting at home (injured) watching the championships on television, so it’s lovely to be back again.

“We hadn’t won a gold medal yet here and obviously the team starts to feel a little bit of pressure from the media, so it’s nice to take that pressure off a bit.”

Ng DQed in early heat
After being dumped onto the boards by Josia Ng shortly after his start in the first round of the competition, an infraction for which the Malaysian was disqualified, Hoy sailed through the rest of the competition.

His tactic of pulling to the front in the final laps of the eight-lap event, during the first five of which a motor-pacer helps the field crank up the speed, paid handsome dividends.

Sometimes criticized for not allowing his rivals to get anywhere near his back wheel, Hoy believes it’s not his job to change his winning ways.

“I believe if I take control of the race, and try to dictate what’s happening, I will have a better chance of winning it,” he said, admitting he wanted to display his power when, at times, he could have taken his foot off the gas.

“It’s a good chance to show your rivals you still have some left in the tank,” he added.

Ahead of his bid to regain the coveted sprint crown won by Frenchman Gregory Bauge last year, Hoy admitted this crown ─ his third after 2007 and 2008 ─ has given him a morale boost.

“It’s given me more confidence, and a bit of a morale boost. There’s no pressure on me now.”

FILED UNDER: News / Track TAGS: Josiah Ng / UCI Track World Championships