Team GB's Jason Kenny sets Olympic record in men's sprint

The 24-year-old from Bolton was selected ahead of Sir Chris Hoy, the 2008 Olympic champion in the event (Getty Images)

Great Britain's Jason Kenny advanced to tomorrow's quarter-finals of the men's sprint in straightforward fashion on day three of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome.

The 24-year-old from Bolton was selected ahead of Sir Chris Hoy, the 2008 Olympic champion in the event, after the International Olympic Committee and International Cycling Union limited the number of riders in individual events to one rider per nation.

The regulation saw a significantly weaker sprint competition than at April's Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne, but Kenny provided a bright start, justifying his selection.

Kenny, who won silver in China aged 20, received a first-round bye after setting an Olympic record of 9.713 seconds in qualifying fastest, giving him a favourable draw for the one-versus-one match sprints.

Kenny met South Africa's Bernard Esterhuizen in the second round and progressed serenely.

The Briton made his move from high on the banking entering the final lap and was untroubled as he powered to a victory which saw him advance to tomorrow's best-of-three quarter-finals.

France's Gregory Bauge, who won the world title ahead of Kenny in Melbourne, was also a comfortable winner, beating Japan's Seiichiro Kakagawa by a considerable margin.

Shane Perkins progressed after the intervention of commissaires, who ruled the Australian had been impeded by Venezuela's Hersony Canelon.

There was a surprise in the fourth second-round heat as Njisane Nicholas Phillip of Trinidad beat Germany's Robert Forstemann.

Russia's Denis Dmitriev went through ahead of Malaysia's Awang Azizulhasni, with American Jimmy Watkins beating Pavel Keleman of the Czech Republic.

The losers were to be granted a second opportunity in the second-round repechage, with two of the six riders to advance to tomorrow's last eight.

In the men's omnium, Ed Clancy won the opening event, the flying lap, but finished a disappointing 11th in the 30km points race to fall to fifth overall with four events remaining.

PA