Kenny to ride for gold in sprint competition (From Campaign Series)

Kenny to ride for gold in sprint competition

5:25pm Monday 6th August 2012 in London Olympics 2012 - Latest News

Great Britain's Jason Kenny will ride for Olympic gold in the men's sprint on day five of action at the London 2012 velodrome.

The 24-year-old from Bolton won his best-of-three semi-final with Trinidad's Njisane Nicholas Phillip 2-0.

In the first bout, Kenny was drawn as the leading rider and led from the start before being untroubled as the sprint began entering the last of the three laps.

The second saw Kenny round Phillip and show a neat turn of pace to advance comfortably.

Kenny was set to meet three-time world champion Gregory Bauge of France in the final.

In the second semi-final, Bauge was able to round Australia's Shane Perkins and win by half a bike length to take a 1-0 lead.

The Frenchman then held off Perkins in the second bout to advance.

The one rider per nation rule introduced by the International Cycling Union and International Olympic Committee weakened the field and saw Kenny selected ahead of 2008 winner Sir Chris Hoy.

But a Kenny versus Bauge final was befitting of the blue riband event.

Kenny finished second to Hoy in Beijing and to Bauge at April's Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne.

The Briton was awarded the 2011 world title after Bauge was stripped of the rainbow jersey for an anti-doping infringement.