Kenny out of ‘hibernation’ to roar into quarter-final

JASON KENNY was compared last week to a bear who hibernates in the years that separate one Olympic Games from the next by the British coaching staff and yesterday he showed a knack for peaking at the right time. His form certainly seems to dip — even if he did follow his second and third Olympic golds in 2012 with a world keirin title in 2013. But he has come into these World Championships in London with much to prove and the manner in which he rode in qualification for the sprint competition would suggest he will come good again in Rio this summer. In pursuit of a third world title, the 27-year-old powered his way into today’s quarter-finals. He opened in the flying 200metre lap with a blistering 9.767sec — the second-fastest time and 54 thousandths of a second off his London track record — then saw off Suriname’s Jair Tjon En Fa and New Zealand’s Edward Dawkins with ease to reach the last eight. Scot Callum Skinner was similarly impressive, beating world champion and 2012 Oympic silver medallist Gregory Bauge of France. It means Skinner will ride against Russian Denis Dmitriev and Kenny will face New Zealander Sam Webster. ‘Everyone wants to ride well but I don’t think about individual events,’ said Kenny last week. ‘I didn’t before London either. I just take them as they come and focus on the team sprint. ‘I wasn’t over-optimistic before London and I’m not now, so I’m pretty much in the same place I was four years ago. ‘I’ll just try to make the most of every single minute between now and then to put myself in the best possible place.’ Judging by yesterday, he appears to be on the right track yet again.