- Scotsman and Dutchman Jeffrey Hoogland won each race and took the event to a final.
- Carlin, who was already under yellow flag, faced disqualification after colliding with a rival.
- But the judges sided with the Briton and he put in a brave display to claim bronze.
Team GB’s Jack Carlin claimed a bronze medal in the men’s sprint at the velodrome after beating Dutch rival Jeffrey Hoogland in three dramatic sprints.
The Scot backed up his team sprint silver earlier in the week with another medal in Paris this afternoon, but the competition was plagued by controversy.
After winning the first race, Hoogland drew level in the second before Carlin collided with the Dutchman in the decider, leaving a nervous wait for the judges’ decision.
The Briton was fortunate to make it to the latter stages of the event after entering the bronze medal match on a yellow card following a crash in an earlier round.
But the umpires let it slide and the Scot made the most of the deciding set to hold off Hoogland and come home with bronze.
Jack Carlin of the British team won a bronze medal in the men’s sprint.
The Scot backed up his team sprint silver earlier in the week with another medal in Paris this afternoon, but the competition was plagued by controversy.
The first race of the best-of-three contest began at little more than a walking pace.
As the pair raced towards the finish line, the Scot timed his move perfectly and crossed the line a fraction of a second ahead of the Dutchman.
Today’s victory acted as redemption for Carlin’s defeat at the hands of Dutch team Hoogland in the gold medal event on Tuesday.
This was Great Britain’s seventh track cycling medal at this summer’s Olympics, equalling its tally in Tokyo three years ago.
The first race of the best-of-three contest began at little more than a walk as the two riders tried to figure each other out, the slow nature of the match adding to the suspense.
When Hoogland finally made the jump, he gained an early lead over his British opponent, but Carlin showed he had left plenty in the tank for the final lap.
As the pair raced towards the finish line, the Scot timed his move perfectly and crossed the line a fraction of a second ahead of the Dutchman.
This left Hoogland with a mountain to climb, requiring back-to-back wins in the final two sprints to secure a podium spot.
Jack Carlin started the second race in the lead and the preparation for the final lap was much faster than the first, as the Briton decided to maintain a fast pace.
But the fierce match was always destined to end in a tense decider and Hoogland followed the script, outpacing Carlin and winning the race fairly comfortably.
Carlin clutched his head after a collision that looked set to result in disqualification.
The officials let him go and the Scot made the most of the decider to hold off Hoogland and go home with bronze.
The Scot had to prepare for another chance to reach the decider after a long wait.
Today’s win acted as redemption for Carlin’s defeat at the hands of Dutch team Hoogland in that gold medal event on Tuesday.
By the time the final round came around, two hours had passed since the first showdown between the two couples and the race followed the cat and mouse theme of the first one.
Then disaster struck the Briton when he collided with Hoogland just two laps from the end in what seemed like a harmless incident.
Carlin had entered the bronze medal match on a yellow card following a crash in an earlier round, which brought him luck and allowed him to progress to the next round.
Then followed a tense wait until the judges’ call finally gave him another lifeline.
A resigned Carlin, who had his head in his hands after the accident, had to take a few deep breaths and prepare for a repeat of the final.
Starting ahead of the Dutchman, the Scot bravely attacked the most important race and Hoogland seemed to gain momentum as the competition progressed.
But Carlin held on during a closely contested final lap to win an unlikely bronze.
