Carlin hails coach Kenny
Paisley cyclist Jack Carlin knew from the moment he heard Sir Jason Kenny had applied to become British Cycling’s men’s sprint coach that his former teammate would land the job.
Kenny will guide Carlin and a young squad into his first major international competition as a coach this week during the first round of the Nations Cup in Glasgow.
Carlin and Ryan Owens rode alongside Kenny at the Tokyo Games last summer, but are now taking their cues from Britain’s most successful Olympian after he retired in January to take up the job.
“The second he put in the application, it’s going to be very hard to say no,”Carlin said of the seven-time Olympic champion.
“You can’t turn away that experience, someone who’s been there and done it himself.
“I’ve lost count of all the medals he’s won when you count up all the colours.
“As soon as I heard he’d applied I thought,‘Well, we roughly know who our new coach is going to be’.”
Kenny has described himself as“a bull in a china shop”as he adjusts to his new role, but Carlin said it had gone smoothly in the first couple of months.
“Jason has done an amazing job,”he said.
“There are still some bits and bobs he’s getting used to and he’ll admit that himself, but he’s learning every day and it’s been a pretty positive experience.
“Being a teammate of his has its ups and downs, but it’s been very smooth and he’s showing himself to be a good leader.
“He’s starting to set down ground rules and, obviously, he’s got very high standards, being who he is.”
With Kenny now on the other side of the barrier, Carlin will be joined on track this weekend by Owens, Joe Truman and debutantes Ali Fielding, Hayden Norris and Hamish Turnbull in Britain’s male sprint squad.
The spotlight will be on the Paisleyborn Carlin on home boards as he steps up preparations to compete for Scotland at this summer’s Commonwealth Games, with one eye also on when Glasgow will host the world championships next year.
“Cheers for that, I feel pressure now,” he said when asked about racing in front of friends and family in Glasgow.
“I love it. My first world cup, which was my second ever elite competition, was up in Glasgow in 2016 in the team sprint and we won it. It’s still probably my favourite memory of competing at any race.
“This is a good event to get us ticking over towards the Commies and then, obviously, Glasgow 2023, which I think is going to be a huge focus for the team.”
You can’t turn away that experience. Someone who’s been there and done it himself
Jack Carlin