Dame Laura Kenny wins gold at Commonwealth Games 2022

• Dame won the gold medal for England in cycling.
• She is a five-time Olympic champion.
• Australia’s Matthew defended his 1000m Time Trial crown.

Dame Laura Kenny won gold for England in Monday’s scratch event of the Commonwealth Games 2022 and then confessed she wondered if it would be her last competitive ride.

The five-time Olympic champion has suffered a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy since the Tokyo Games in the summer of last year.

She’s said riding is her safety blanket, but competitive pressures have been a hardship in recent months, and she was dissatisfied with her form this weekend.

Credits: Birmingham 2022

“Yesterday I thought it was going to be my last bike race,” Kenny said. “Everything about it I just didn’t enjoy. Even before the start, I didn’t know if I could do it.

“(But) I came in this morning in a completely different mindset, thinking: ‘Of course you can do it.’ I told myself in the toilet: ‘You need to race as Laura Trott,’ that old bike rider who didn’t think about anything else other than crossing that finish line first.

“When I changed my mindset, I just felt completely different.”

Kenny raced like Trott of old, saving a burst of speed for the final laps to win ahead of Michaela Drummond and Maggie Coles-Lyster. The emotions then overflowed.

“I watched Adam Peaty and the way he reflected on his build-up, he said he hasn’t really felt the spark in training and competition for the past two years, and that feels very much like me,” said Kenny, who also pointed to the exit of coach Monica Greenwood and an injury to Madison partner Katie Archibald.

“You know when you get so much bad news that you feel a bit lost. I would say since everything that’s happened to me personally, and then Monica’s stepped away, I’ve felt lost.

“Obviously everything that’s happened to Katie, when Katie said to me she doesn’t think she can do the Commies and then do the Euros, I felt like somebody had ripped my right arm off…

I just felt like I had nothing.”

Matthew successfully defended his Time Trial crown – Birmingham 2022

Matthew Glaetzer of Australia successfully defended his Commonwealth Games 2022 1000m Time Trial crown.

After winning the Team Sprint, the 29-year-old claimed his second gold medal at Birmingham 2022 by crossing the finish line in 59.505 seconds.

Glaetzer, who had previously won six Commonwealth medals, defeated Thomas Cornish by 0.531 seconds, with Trinidadian Nicholas Paul completing the podium in the men’s keirin after winning gold on Saturday.

Ellesse Andrews won gold in the women’s keirin, beating Sophie Capewell of England and Kelsey Mitchell of New Zealand.

After earning her third gold and silver medal, she said it was “pretty special.”

She added: “It’s pretty special and surreal – something you can only believe once it’s actually happened.

“I left space behind and just watched all of my opponents so I could react quickly to them. I knew I had fast girls behind me, waiting to attack, so I ended up making the attack myself.”

The 22-year-old added: “I have loved all of my wins for different reasons, but it has been really special to watch all of my teammates do so well and break records and stand on the podium.”

Aaron Gate won the men’s 40km points race to earn another gold for New Zealand and his third gold medal in Birmingham.

Gate finished ahead of compatriot Campbell Stewart, the 2018 runner-up, and England’s Oli Wood.

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