Team GB on track to match 2012 gold rush

RIO DE JANIERO (AFP) — Britain’s dominant track cycling team remained on course to match its previous seven-title Olympic hauls on the final day of the Games competition in Rio on Tuesday.

Both in London four yeas ago and Beijing in 2008, the British track team picked up seven of the 10 gold medals on offer.

With four more in the bank and three still to be decided, Britain was on course to hit the magic seven once again.

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Laura Trott, already a gold medallist with the women’s team pursuit, leads the omnium with two disciplines left after finishing second in the morning time trial to extend her lead over Belgium’s Jolien d’Hoore to 12 points.

Both Becky James, the keirin silver medallist, and Katy Marchant made it into the women’s sprint semi-finals.

They were the top two qualifiers and haven’t put a foot wrong yet, setting up the possibility of another all-British final following that of the men’s.

Men’s sprint champion Jason Kenny is also on course in the keirin having reached the semi-finals by comfortably winning his heat. But there wasn’t such good news for sprint silver medallist Callum Skinner who was relegated after crossing over into American Mathew Baranoski’s lane, knocking him out of the semi-finals.

Kenny has already won two gold medals at these Games — the other alongside Skinner in the team sprint — and has five in total.

One more in the keirin final on Tuesday afternoon would match the record of six for a British athlete held by his former track cycling teammate Chris Hoy.

Trott, Kenny’s fiancée, has three gold medals of her own having also done the double at the last Games.

Britain has already won the men’s and women’s team pursuit, men’s team sprint and men’s sprint at these Games.