Britain’s Matthew Richardson has smashed his own world record in the 200m flying start sprint, just one day after becoming the first man to dip under the nine-second barrier.
The 24-year-old track cyclist stunned spectators at the Konya Velodrome in Turkey on Friday when he clocked an astonishing 8.941 seconds, rewriting the record books. But remarkably, he returned to the boards less than 24 hours later and went even quicker, setting a new benchmark of 8.857 seconds.
Speaking after his blistering ride, Richardson said:
“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. I was stoked about yesterday, but I was hungry for more.”
The Perth-born rider, who switched allegiance from Australia to Great Britain in 2022, admitted the record is now “out of my control”, a nod to the inevitable challengers who will target his mark in the months ahead.
Richardson briefly held the 200m flying start record at the Paris Olympics last year, before Dutch rival Harrie Lavreysen snatched it away minutes later with a 9.088-second ride. He thought he had broken the record again at this year’s Nations Cup, also at Konya, but the UCI refused to ratify his time after he dipped below the track’s blue line.
This time there was no controversy. Riding a custom Hope HB.T bike, fitted with a 3D-printed titanium handlebar and bespoke forks designed with British Cycling’s lead project engineer Oliver Caddy, Richardson left no doubt.
He was not the only Brit chasing records in Konya this week. Veteran para-cyclist Will Bjergfelt, 46, set a new C5 Hour Record with 51.471km, smashing Andrea Tarlao’s previous best from 2014 by more than 3km and becoming the first para-rider to break the 50km barrier.
“[I feel] amazing, this is something I’ve worked for, for a long time,” said Bjergfelt. “When we talked about world records at the start of the year it was something I was passionate about right from the get-go.”
Meanwhile, Charlie Tanfield fell just short in his own Hour Record attempt, covering 53.967km, outside Italian Filippo Ganna’s world record of 56.791km set in 2022.
Richardson’s record-breaking double underlines Britain’s growing momentum in track cycling ahead of next year’s major championships, and signals a fierce new chapter in his rivalry with Lavreysen.
By John Rose
Image: For illustrational only. Image created with AI.
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