Olympic record as Kenny pips Bauge in cycle sprint

Beijing silver medallist Jason Kenny set out his stall for track cycling's coveted Olympic sprint gold, upstaging French rival Gregory Bauge with a new Games record in qualifying Saturday. In the men's sprint tournament, held over three days, tactics, speed and mental toughness come to the fore as riders fight each other to the line over three laps of the track. A crucial indicator of form, however, is each rider's time in the 200m flying lap. Kenny, 24, led the 17-man field in a new Olympic record of 9.73sec, over two tenths of a second ahead of second-placed Bauge (9.952). Bauge is the three-time world champion and after France's defeat to Britain in the men's team sprint on Thursday is more determined than ever to end France's 40-year wait for a men's Olympic sprint gold. "For me, the individual sprint will be a totally different ball game," he warned Thursday as he struggled to digest France's defeat to Britain. However Kenny has put down a first marker to show that it could prove to be a more difficult task than imagined. Kenny won silver in Beijing behind British teammate Chris Hoy, a scenario which is impossible this time round following rule changes which mean only one competitor per country is allowed. Having earned the chance to represent Britain in track's most prestigious event, he appears to be taking it with both hands. The world record for the 200m flying lap, 9.572, is held by France's Kevin Sireau. The previous Olympic record of 9.815 was set by Hoy in Beijing in 2008.