Scots cycling star Jack Carlin wins silver in Olympic team sprint

For a second successive Olympics Jack Carlin and Team GB had to settle for silver in the team sprint as their Dutch rivals smashed the world record.

Team GB had hoped to go one better than four years ago after qualifying for the final with the second fastest time behind the Netherlands. Scots track cyclist Carlin - the star turn in a three-man team also featuring Ed Lowe and Hamish Turnbull - is in top form and produced a storming final lap in what was a new national record of 41.814secs.

But it wasn't enough as the Dutch trio of Van den Berg, Lavreysen and Hoogland re-affirmed their place as the top team in the sport with a new world record of 40.949secs.

Speaking after the race, Carlin said: "I'm feeling really really good. As a team we came and delivered. It's the best we could have done on the day."

Carlin, 27, was the only member of the British team with previous Olympic experience but that did not show in qualifying on Monday, when he, Turnbull, 25, and 20-year-old Lowe qualified with the second-fastest time.

In Tuesday's first round, they beat Germany by more than half a second to guarantee themselves a medal.

But in an era of Dutch dominance, it was always going to be difficult against the Netherlands - who have won five of the past six men's team sprint World Championship titles.

Roy van den Berg, Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland broke their own Olympic record in qualifying, before back-to-back world records on their way to the top of the podium.

sportscotland Director of Sport, Craig Burn, said: "What a brilliant ride from Jack Carlin to bring home the Silver medal in the Men’s Team Sprint. Up against extremely tough opponents, Jack and the team dug deep and truly deserve to take home this Olympic medal.