Jason Kenny Wins 7th Olympic Gold to Become Britain's Greatest Olympian

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Men's Keirin - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 8, 2021. Jason Kenny of Britain celebrates with a British flag after taking gold in the race. REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Men's Keirin - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 8, 2021. Jason Kenny of Britain celebrates with a British flag after taking gold in the race. REUTERS/Matthew Childs
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Jason Kenny Wins 7th Olympic Gold to Become Britain's Greatest Olympian

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Men's Keirin - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 8, 2021. Jason Kenny of Britain celebrates with a British flag after taking gold in the race. REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Men's Keirin - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 8, 2021. Jason Kenny of Britain celebrates with a British flag after taking gold in the race. REUTERS/Matthew Childs

Jason Kenny said he might think twice about retiring from the cycling track after winning his seventh Olympic gold on Sunday to become Britain's most successful Olympian of all time.

The 33-year-old produced a dazzling performance in the men's keirin final to win his ninth medal overall and overtake Chris Hoy, who won six golds.

Elsewhere on the final day of action at the Izu Velodrome, Canada's Kelsey Mitchell won the women's sprint and America's Jennifer Valente took gold in the women's omnium.

But Kenny stole the show and has now also surpassed retired cyclist Bradley Wiggins as the most-decorated British Olympian ever, with seven golds and two silvers across four Games.

The defending champion finished ahead of Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang and Dutch world champion Harrie Lavreysen -- who won gold medals in the sprint and team sprint at the Tokyo Games -- after pulling off a stunning ambush in the final.

The keirin involves riders lurking behind a pace-maker until the last three laps and Kenny caught his opponents napping by immediately launching into an incredible sprint.

The veteran rider, who briefly retired after Rio 2016, is yet to confirm if he will continue beyond the Tokyo but admits his latest triumph has given him pause for thought.

Asked if this was his final race, Kenny said: "If you'd asked me this morning I would have said 'yeh, probably', but now I feel pretty good so I might carry on."

Kenny had looked like a fading force for most of the week in the Izu Velodrome, where he took a silver medal in the team sprint before being outclassed in the individual sprint by Lavreysen.

- Niggles -
"This morning in my head I was 33 and getting slower," he said. "From a British cycling point of view you'd rather back someone who is 20 and getting faster. It was difficult.

"I haven't been able to train the way I want to, I've had niggles. It might not be up to me (whether he stays in the team). I was disappointed with my pace here so it might be out of my hands."

On his victory lap, Kenny tossed away his helmet before throwing his arms into the air. On the podium, Awang and Lavreysen hoisted Kenny onto their shoulders.

Kenny's wife, Laura, was unable to add to her own medal haul, finishing sixth in the women's omnium, an event in which she won gold in 2012 and 2016.

Laura Kenny won gold in the madison and silver in the team pursuit at the Tokyo Games, taking the Kenny couple's total Olympic medal haul to 15, including 12 golds.

US cyclist Valente won the race, finishing 14 points ahead of Yumi Kajihara, who took silver to win Japan's first medal on the track. Dutch rider Kirsten Wild took bronze.

Canada's Kelsey Mitchell won gold in the women's sprint, just four years after taking up the sport.

Mitchell won the first two races in a best-of-three final against Olena Starikova of Ukraine. Hong Kong's Lee Wai-sze took bronze.



Belgian Grand Prix Gets Contract Extension but Set to Be Dropped from Schedule in 2028 and 2030

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers his car during the second free practice at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Belgium, on Aug. 21, 2015. (AP)
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers his car during the second free practice at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Belgium, on Aug. 21, 2015. (AP)
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Belgian Grand Prix Gets Contract Extension but Set to Be Dropped from Schedule in 2028 and 2030

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers his car during the second free practice at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Belgium, on Aug. 21, 2015. (AP)
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany steers his car during the second free practice at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Belgium, on Aug. 21, 2015. (AP)

Formula 1 has extended its contract with the Belgian Grand Prix, but one of the sport's most established races is set to be dropped from the schedule in 2028 and 2030.

The extension starting from next year includes races only in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031, F1 said Wednesday.

F1’s push in recent years to expand the schedule with more races in the United States and Asia has meant more competition for traditional venues in Europe seeking to keep their places on the calendar.

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit, a favorite with many drivers for its flowing high-speed layout through forested hills, was on the F1 schedule for the first championship season in 1950 and has been on the calendar every year since 2007.

"The Belgian Grand Prix was one of the races that made up our maiden Championship in 1950, so as we kick off our 75th anniversary year it is fitting that we can share the news of this important extension," F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali said in a statement.

"Spa-Francorchamps is rightly lauded by drivers and fans alike as one of the finest racetracks in the world and it has played host to some incredible moments over its many seasons in Formula 1."

This year's Belgian Grand Prix race weekend is from July 25 through 27, including a sprint race.