Paris Olympics: Aussie Matthew Richardson takes silver in cycling sprint as his coach makes stunning statement about rival
- Richardson lost to Harrie Havreysen in the gold medal stage
- Both stars had broken the world record at the Paris Games
Only the greatest cyclist of all time can stop Matthew Richardson from winning gold in the sprint in Paris, according to the Australian star’s coach.
Dutch top athlete Harrie Havreysen successfully defended his Olympic title in the sprint competition, beating the Australian in the gold medal race.
Lavreysen has also won the last five world titles in the event. The Dutch are the first nation to win more than one gold medal on the Paris circuit after seven decided events.
“I haven’t been beaten very often in the last three or four years. And when I was beaten, it was by Matthew,” Lavreysen said.
‘When I saw him in the final it was difficult. I expected it to be difficult – we (finished) very close.
“He performed incredibly well… a lot of respect for him. He was the best opponent to have in the Olympic final.”
It is Richardson’s first individual Olympic medal, after winning bronze in the team sprint earlier this week.
He was aiming to become the second Australian to win gold in the men’s sprint, after Ryan Bayley in 2004.
Richardson (right) and Lavreysen (right) both broke the world record in the run-up to the final – but the Dutch master added gold to his five consecutive world titles on Saturday morning (AEST)
The Australian added his silver to the bronze he won in the team sprint, giving green and gold cycling its best results in the men’s Olympic sprint in 20 years
Richardson’s silver and bronze in the team sprint are Australia’s first Olympic medals in the men’s sprint events since Bayley won the sprint and keirin in Athens.
Richardson and Matt Glaetzer will ride the first rounds of the keirin on Saturday.
Lavreysen broke the world record in the 200m fly during qualifying, while Richardson also broke the old record to become the second fastest.
The Dutch great was also part of the combination that ran under 41 seconds for the first time, thus defending their Olympic title in the team sprint.
Richardson, like Lavreysen, had not made a single mistake in the sprint event until he crashed into a Dutch wall during the gold medal race.
The Australian didn’t do much wrong and used his acceleration into the final corner, as he had done in previous laps, with deadly consequences.
But Lavreysen was just a little bit better.
“You’ve just seen the best sprinter ever … in terms of pace and speed,” Australian assistant coach Scott Gardner said of Lavreysen.
Lavreysen (center) and bronze winner Jack Carlin of Great Britain (right) brought a smile to Richardson’s face with an excited display on the podium
“We knew everything had to go right tonight to get close to him, and it was a close call.”
Earlier on Friday, Australia’s Lavreysens defeated compatriot Jeffrey Hoogland with two 0-manches in the semi-finals, shaking his fist in joy after completing the second race.
Lavreysen defeated British opponent Jack Carlin in similar fashion, without needing a deciding set.
Hoogland and Carlin had both won one heat in the bronze medal match, setting up the deciding round, which the British rider won.
Australian silver medallists Georgia Baker and Alex Manly finished ninth in the team pursuit. Italy won, ahead of Great Britain and the Netherlands.
Also on Friday, Australian Kristina Clonan made an encouraging start in the women’s sprint at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome, just outside Paris.
Clonan qualified eleventh in 10.310 seconds, while Germany’s Lea Friedrich became the latest rider to set a world record at the super-fast cycling stadium with a time of 10.029.
The Australian then showed impressive track skills on her Olympic debut by beating Dutch rider Steffie van der Peet to progress to the second round, which will also be held on Friday evening.