SHIZUOKA - Dutch cyclist Harrie Lavreysen outpaced compatriot Jeffrey Hoogland to win the Olympic men's sprint title on Friday, winning in a tense deciding race at the Izu Velodrome.
The duo claimed the team sprint gold together, but were facing off for the third straight global championship individual final.
The Netherlands top the track cycling medal table, winning three of the eight events completed so far.
Lavreysen beat Hoogland in each of the last two world championship finals, although Hoogland got the better of his rival in the 2018 and 2019 European championships.
The 28-year-old Hoogland edged a tight first race on Friday by a quarter of a wheel and looked set for victory when leading the second race coming round the final bend.
But Lavreysen reeled him in, winning by almost the same margin as he had lost the opener.
The decider was a cagey affair, but Lavreysen made the decisive move on the penultimate bend and held on.
Britain's Jack Carlin took the bronze medal, winning in two races against Russian veteran Denis Dmitriev. - AFP. August 6, 2021
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