Hoy claims keirin gold

Sir Chris Hoy
9 April 2012

Four-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy won a sensational men's keirin gold medal and Jason Kenny took bronze on the final day of the Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne.

Hoy - the 2007, 2008 and 2010 world champion and Olympic champion in Beijing in the event which begins behind a motorised Derny bike - was a comfortable winner of his heat and second-round contest to advance to the final.

Hoy appeared to be boxed in on the final bend, but accelerated as a gap opened up between Germany's Maximilian Levy and Simon van Velthooven of New Zealand before lunging for the line.

Hoy punched the air with delight, but an 11th World Championships gold medal of his distinguished career was confirmed only after a photo finish.

Levy was second, with Van Velthooven third and Britain's Jason Kenny finished fourth but he was awarded the bronze after officials relegated Van Velthooven.

Hoy's was Britain's sixth gold of the five-day event at the Hisense Arena - five coming in the 10 events on August's Olympic track programme in an ominous warning to their Games rivals.

Matt Crampton was fourth in the minor final to place 10th overall.

Wendy Houvenaghel again had to settle for women's individual pursuit silver behind New Zealand's Alison Shanks.

Jess Varnish secured her first medal of the competition when she claimed a bronze medal in the women's 500m time-trial. The 21-year-old finished fourth in the team sprint with Victoria Pendleton earlier but took third on the final day of the event as Australia's Anna Meares won her second gold medal in two days.

In the final event, Geraint Thomas and Ben Swift won silver in the non-Olympic Madison. The British pair finished on 18 points, six adrift of gold medal winners Belgium, with Australia third on 11 points.

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