Tokyo Olympics: Katy Marchant stays on track for a medal

IF YOU get knocked down, make sure you get back up again – it might just lead you to an Olympic medal.
Leading the way: Leeds star Katy Marchant ahead of Hong Kong's Lee Wai-sze.Leading the way: Leeds star Katy Marchant ahead of Hong Kong's Lee Wai-sze.
Leading the way: Leeds star Katy Marchant ahead of Hong Kong's Lee Wai-sze.

Katy Marchant is certainly hoping that’s the case after she safely negotiated the early rounds of the women’s sprint at the Izu Velodrome to move closer to the Tokyo 2020 podium.

Leeds cyclist Marchant had been one of the favourites for the women’s keirin but a nasty crash with Laurine van Riessen – that left the Dutch rider in hospital with broken ribs, collarbone and a lung contusion – saw her exit at the quarter-final stage on Thursday. Just 24 hours later, the Brit was back in the saddle for the sprint, unsure how her body would hold up, but an impressive national record time of 10.495s in the qualifying phase saw her safely into the last-32 in eighth.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There, she comfortably beat home favourite Yuka Kobayashi in a head-to-head battle before holding off Hong Kong’s Sarah Lee Wai-ze in the next round to reach the quarter-finals.

On track: Great Britain's Katy Marchant during the sprint qualifying at the Izu Velodrome.On track: Great Britain's Katy Marchant during the sprint qualifying at the Izu Velodrome.
On track: Great Britain's Katy Marchant during the sprint qualifying at the Izu Velodrome.

Those quarter-finals take place on Saturday and now she is just two victories away from guaranteeing herself a medal contest, Marchant admits the confidence is flowing.

“I wasn’t 100 per cent sure how I was feeling this morning [after the crash], I am a little bit battered and bruised, but the legs are feeling good,” she said. “It’s just riding through the rounds now and hopefully after another night’s sleep I’ll feel even better tomorrow.

“I’ve got confidence in my legs and it was really nice to just beat Sarah Lee there, she is a very good tactical rider.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I think I managed to get the better of her there, so that is a massive confidence boost going into tomorrow.”

Her opening salvo on Friday, the national record time over 200m during sprint qualifying, was the first sign that the previous day’s crash hadn’t affected Marchant physically.

But ever the perfectionist, the Rio 2016 women’s sprint bronze medallist would have liked even more from herself.

“It would have been nice to go a little bit quicker,” added the 28-year-old. “But after yesterday and feeling the way that I am feeling I was really happy to do a PB this morning.

“You can’t really ask for much more than that.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jack Carlin, meanwhile, had already won team sprint silver at the Tokyo Olympics, but it was Friday’s individual bronze which made the Scot tear up.

The 24-year-old beat Denis Dmitriev 2-0 to win his first individual Olympic medal, letting out a cry as he crossed the line ahead of Dmitriev, one of relief and emotion as much as celebration.

“I would rather take a medal with the team, with the boys, every day of the week,” he said.

“I love the team side of it, I love winning with the team and celebrating with the team, but I think this was my own battle in my head.”

Carlin now goes in the men’s keirin on Saturday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

No-one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise around £36 million each week for good causes including elite and grassroots sport. Discover more about how playing The National Lottery supports Team GB’s athletes by visiting www.national-lottery.co.uk/tokyo2020 and get involved by using the hashtags: #TNLAthletes #MakeAmazingHappen

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.