Jack Carlin won Team GB’s second medal of the day in the velodrome and fifth of the track cycling programme at Tokyo 2020 as he battled to bronze in the men’s sprint.
Carlin entered Friday with a shot at the gold medal but lost 2-0 in the semi-finals to Dutch world champion Harrie Lavreysen, who had already knocked out Jason Kenny in the quarter-finals.
That set up a best-of-three bronze medal contest against Denis Dmitriev of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Sprinting for bronze 🥉@jack_carlin97 powers past ROC's Denis Dmitriev in the second sprint race to win his second Olympic medal of #Tokyo2020 #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/Gp1Ottx5aJ
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 6, 2021
The 24-year-old Scot went early in the first heat but showed his power to hold off Dmitriev on the final lap before nip-and-tuck second race ended with him edging across the line less than a wheel length ahead of the ROC rider.
It means Carlin is now a double Olympic medallist after being part of the men’s team sprint squad that took silver earlier in the Games.
He could still add another medal to his collection, with he and Jason Kenny both taking part in the keirin, which begins on Saturday.
Hats off to @jack_carlin97 #TeamGB pic.twitter.com/EGD22BHUBs
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 6, 2021
Carlin, 24, from Paisley, said: "It was a tough day today, I didn't have the same in the legs as I did yesterday but I gave it my all and managed to come away with something.
"I got 20th at the Worlds last year and I said to myself that I'd never be in that place again.
"We focused a lot on the individual event in this extra year and it paid off."
Ahead of the keirin, and the chance to win gold, silver and bronze at Tokyo 2020, Carlin said: "What was it that Jonny Brownlee said? 'Completed it mate". We'll see...'"
The bronze made for an electric day at the Izu Velodrome, coming less than an hour after Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald dominated the women’s Madison, and was Team GB’s 54th medal of these Olympics across all sports.