Matthew Richardson, the cyclist who rode away from Australia’s clutches to compete for Great Britain, has smashed the world 200-metre track speed record for the second time in 24 hours.
At the high-altitude Konya Velodrome in Turkey, Richardson had set a 200m flying start record on Thursday, becoming the first man to break the nine-second barrier.
A day later, he was convinced he could go faster over a lap.
The English-born, Perth-raised flyer won three medals for Australia on the track in Paris last year.
True to his word, he lowered his record from 8.941 seconds to 8.857, cementing his status as the ‘fastest man on two wheels’.
Slicing another 0.84 seconds off the record left the 26-year-old relieved and delighted that he had finally found his best form in the sprinter’s lane.
Matthew Richardson of Great Britain breaks the world record in the 200-meter sprint with a time of 8.941 seconds during track cycling world record attempts in Konya, Turkiye
It is the second time that Richardson has set a new world record since defecting from Australia to Great Britain
‘I knew there was more time on the table after yesterday’s ‘out of sprint lane’ ride, so I knew if I came in with good execution and rode as close to the black as possible I’d go quicker – and that’s what happened,’ said Richardson.
‘I’m feeling pretty good, a big, big relief. I knew there was more in the tank yesterday, so I was obviously really stoked about yesterday but I was hungry for more.’
The two days in Turkey have represented the high point so far of Richardson’s revamped career in British colours.
He switched allegiance from Australia last year after his Games success, believing there would be better opportunities for him representing the country of his birth.
He did set the 200m world record briefly for Australia at the Paris Games before it was broken by his great Dutch rival and Olympic champion, Harrie Lavreysen.
Now he’s managed to set two marks in 24 hours, he was asked how long he expected his new landmark to last for.
‘I don’t know, it’s out of my control now,’ smiled Richardson, whose average speed during his record-breaking lap was a staggering 81.291 kilometres per hour.