Hoy and Kenny Set For Sprint Gold Duel
by Justin Davis
BEIJING, Aug 18, 2008 (AFP) - British duo Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny are set for an historic clash in the final of the coveted Olympic sprint after making light work of their rivals in their respective quarter-finals on Monday.
Scottish track king Hoy, already a double gold winner in Beijing, dominated audacious young Malaysian Mohd Azizulhasni Awang in their quarter-final leg to book his place in the last four.
Hoy, 32, will now meet Mickael Bourgain in Tuesday’s semi after the French ace defied the tactical prowess of the Netherlands’ three-time world champion Theo Bos, whose speed, in the end, let him down.
Reigning Olympic kilometre champion Hoy said he is ready to face Bourgain, a rider he physically towers over but for whom he has masses of respect.
“I raced him at the World Cup, he’s a fast rider and he’s been a medalist for the past decade,” said the Scot. “He deserves every ounce of respect he’s earned.”
Bourgain retains hope that he can cause an upset and go faster than the man who, in recent days, his rivals have likened to a motorbike.
But the Frenchman knows it won’t be easy.
“He’s not unbeatable. We’ll see tomorrow,” Bourgain said of Hoy, adding that he was determined not to let Bos’s intimidating tactics get the better of him.
“It was hard today, but despite his efforts I didn’t let myself get intimidated.”
Before his failure to make the sprint and keirin finals at the Manchester world championships in March, where Hoy won both titles, Bos was considered a force to be reckoned with.
And after spending the past four years aiming to go better than his silver in Athens, the flying Dutchman admitted his world has come crashing down.
Echoing Australia’s beaten sprint and keirin 2004 Olympic champion Ryan Bayley, who said he would take a year out from the sport on Sunday, Bos said he was now “unsure” of what the future held.
“Make no mistake, ever since I was young I was waiting for this moment. Day in day out, 24 hours a day I’ve been working on it,” said Bos, whose brother Jan is a champion speed skater with two Olympic silver medals.
“Now my world has collapsed, but I have to accept this and the conclusion is I just came short this year.”
Kenny meanwhile is proving to be one of the revelations of the Games’ track cycling events.
A product of the British track programme’s Olympic Academy, he made France’s Kevin Sireau look amateur with a display of fluid, and ultimately rapid racing which saw him dominate his 21-year-old rival over two legs.
The 20-year-old from Bolton will now meet Germany’s Maximilian Levy, who left Netherlands without a sprinter in the semis by disposing of Teun Mulder.
A final between Hoy and Kenny would be the first time ever, and the first between compatriots at the Games since the all-American final in 1984.
Hoy is confident the efforts of the last few days have not left him short of his aim.
“It’s been a long four days, but I feel strong,” said Hoy, who raced to team sprint gold with Kenny and Jamie Staff on Friday.
“I’m giving 100 percent of my focus to tomorrow’s race, but what happens will happen.”
Photo by: CorVos Pro
Categories: Beijing Olympics
Tags:
Leave a Reply