Matt Richardson Triumphs in Sprint and Keirin

Matt Richardson claimed victory in both the men’s sprint and keirin finals at the Track Champions League event in France marking a standout performance in his first appearance for Great Britain after switching nationality from Australia. The 25-year-old, originally from Kent but raised in Western Australia had previously competed for Australia at the Paris Olympics where he was defeated by Harrie Lavreysen in the men’s sprint final.

However, in the same velodrome and event at this season’s Track Champions League, Richardson delivered an impressive performance in the sprint, overtaking Lavreysen in round one. The Dutch rider backed off in the final stretch, unable to match Richardson’s pace. Later in the keirin, Richardson again outpaced Lavreysen moving out of his slipstream and accelerating to secure another victory.

“I’ve never beaten Harrie in sprint and keirin on the same night, so to do it is pretty cool,” said Matt Richardson. “I had to race well and take confidence for the rest of the series.” Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Katie Archibald, recovering from a broken leg that kept her from the Olympics displayed impressive form, winning both the women’s scratch and elimination races.

Archibald narrowly defeated Norway’s Anita Stenberg in the scratch race and triumphed in the elimination race. “I’m really happy,” said Archibald. “I’m doing everything to get the best result possible.” Additionally, Emma Finucane secured victory in the women’s sprint beating Colombia’s Martha Bayona while Will Perrett won the men’s elimination race.

The next round of the Track Champions League series will be a double header in Apeldoorn, Netherlands on November 29 and 30.