'I did a Bradbury': Aussie's classic admission after massive crash hands him keirin bronze
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Australian cyclists Matthew Richardson and Matthew Glaetzer have walked away with silver and bronze medals in a men's keirin final that was nothing short of thrilling.
In a scene reminiscent of Steven Bradbury's famous Winter Olympics gold medal, Glaetzer found himself in last place going into the final corner, only to see a brutal crash take out three riders in front of him, allowing him to cross the line in third.
Speaking after the race, his wife Nikki, told Nine her husband was ecstatic at his podium finish. "I think it meant a lot, he was so happy, he was like 'I did a Bradbury'."
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Silver medalist Matthew Richardson and Bronze medalist Matthew Glaetzer. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Dutch rider Harrie Lavreysen claimed the gold, continuing his dominance at the velodrome.
The race had been incredibly tight and could have gone any rider's way until the crash. Lavreysen made the first move, leaving Richardson pushing around the outside to challenge.
It turned into a race between Australia's fastest sprinter and his biggest rival but the Dutch rider ultimately came out on top.
"Richardson tried to get there, but there's a huge crash," Nine's Scott McGrory said on commentary.
"However, it's Harrie Lavreysen who takes the win. The legend continues, he wins keirin gold. All three gold medals in the sprint go to the Netherlands.
"A silver medal for Richardson—what a courageous effort."
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Britain's Jack Carlin, Malaysia's Muhammad Shah Firdaus, and Japan's Shinji Nakano, were taken out of the race, after a crash caused absolute carnage.
Following the crash, there was a protest, and the Malaysian cyclist was relegated from fourth to sixth after sliding across the track.
Carlin took a bit of time to get to his feet, with a stretcher initially being brought out for him.
Speaking trackside, Richardson said he tried his hardest to build speed on the final lap but fell short.
"I came with a lot of speed and got up beside him with three quarters of a lap to go, with momentum, so I thought this could be it, like it's looking good," Richardson said.
"(Lavreysen) rode a really smart line to try and keep me wide and coming into the last corner before he ducked down, that just washed off a little bit of my speed. And second was all it could be."
The outcome is all too familiar for Richardson, who claimed silver in the men's cycling sprint earlier in the competition after being overtaken by the defending champion Lavreysen.
Bronze medalist Matthew Glaetzer and Silver medalist Matthew Richardson. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Overall, Richardson said he "left it all on the track" and said he was happy with his performance.
"I won three out of four races in this keirin tournament and that gave me a lot of confidence coming into the final," he said.
"I wasn't nervous at all and that was the least amount of nerves I have ever had and that was an Olympic keirin final.
"That allowed me to race with instinct and not second guess anything."
Richardson said he would be looking forward to getting back to training and was planning to be back for LA 2028.
Speaking with Nine following the race, Richardson's mother, Lesley, said she was incredibly proud of her son.
"I'm always pleased when they're over. It's very nerve racking ... to grab silver was a bonus," she said.
"It's been amazing and he really deserves it."
Matthew Richardson and Matthew Glaetzer embrace after winning silver and bronze in the keirin final. Nine
Meanwhile, Glaetzer's wife Nikki said she was thrilled by the win.
"I said, I'm just so proud of him and just so happy that he's finally turned those fourths into a medal, so we are so stoked," she said.
Shortly after in the women's omnium, Australia's Georgia Baker narrowly missed out on a podium spot.
Despite being in contention for a silver medal before the final points race, she couldn't secure any points and slipped to fifth.
Nine commentator Kate Bates said it was a "sensational" performance from the Australian.
