Olympic Stream of Consciousness: Track Cycling

Team GB Women's Team Sprint

World records seem to tumble in this discipline, and the first one goes when Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane win gold for GBR in the Women's Team Sprint. (NZL silver, GER bronze). It's a peculiar event, which starts with three cyclists in the team and finishes with one. There is a solid and impressive performance in the Men's Sprint from Australia to beat France for bronze, even if the commentators have no idea what's going on). Then the Netherlands beat Britain for gold (by 0.8 seconds), with yet another world record, possibly due to the slight wobble from Team GB at the start whereas NED display strength, power, and formidable straight lines.

Ethan Hayter slips from his saddle in the Men's Team Pursuit

In the Men's Team Pursuit, Denmark are clearly leading Italy (whose team includes time trial machine and silver medalist at the Games, Filippo Ganna) but they fall apart and can't stick together as a three in the final lap and Italy take bronze. In the final, GBR and AUS change lead almost every lap and both are down to three riders at 2500m. On the final lap, Ethan Hayter for GBR slips in his saddle and nearly loses control of his bike, not sure if this is a technical issue or rider error (due to his power he has ridden an extra half-lap turn at the front and this may have been too much for the lad). Either way, AUS take the gold - their first on the track since Anna Meares famously beat Victoria Pendleton in 2012. 

Fourth consecutive Olympic medal in the Women's Team Pursuit for Team GB

In the Women's Team Pursuit bronze medal race, GBR start poorly - they are messy and not together, potentially missing their training mate, Katie Archibald, who suffered a freak accident a short while back when she tripped on a garden step and dislocated her ankle, broke her tibula and fibula and tore ligaments from the bone. Gardening is dangerous, kids! Italy are in the lead until the last one and a half laps, and GBR pull back four seconds in the last kilometre to take bronze (their coach, Cameron Meyer, tells them they are on schedule when they are actually 0.6 seconds behind in an example of headology.). The quartet of Elinor Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jess Roberts ensure that GBR have reached the podium every time since this event was introduced to the Olympics in 2012.

Kristen Faulkner wins her second gold in two different disciplines

In the gold medal race, USA are way ahead of NZL for most of the race; they blow apart briefly but come back together to win gold. One of their team members, Kristen Faulkner, who also won gold in the Women's Road Race, becomes the first American woman to win titles in two different disciplines at the same Olympics,  and only the third overall. (At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Leontien Ziljaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands won the individual pursuit on the track before adding the road race and time trial titles, while Ester Ledecka (CZE) won Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding golds at Pyeonchang in 2018.) Faulkner had only been due to race in the velodrome in Paris, but was entered into the road race just weeks before the Games to replace team-mate Taylor Knibb, who chose to focus on the time trial and triathlon. 

Neah Evans gets back on her bike after this crash and finishes the race

The last event I watch is the Women's Omnium - the elimination is fun but bokers; if a rider takes you out, they are disqualified or penalised, but you don't get any extra points. It's utterly frantic and the commentators spend most of the time trying to explain what's happening and regularly failing. The event is won by Jennifer Valente (USA), with Daria Pikulik (POL) second, and Amy Wollaston (NZL) third.