The Australian track cycling star Matthew Glaetzer has said the 2024 Olympics will be his last, as the sprinter and his teammates aim for a historic team sprint gold medal in Paris.
Glaetzer is a three-time world champion and five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, but an Olympic medal has eluded him throughout a storied career. Speaking at a press conference as the Australian track team finalised their preparations ahead of the Games, Glaetzer said he would be hanging up the bike after his fourth Olympics.
“This will be my last Olympics,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to making the most of it with the team – I think we have a really good shot to do something special. I want to end on a high note.”
The 31-year-old has battled injury and a thyroid cancer scare throughout his career and said the physical toll of track cycling was a big factor behind his decision
“To go another four years is a big commitment,” he said. “I may have another couple of years in me, but not another four – I know that much. Our sport, what we do, isn’t easy on the body. I don’t want to put my body too far back for later in life. I am ready for some other challenges in life.”
The men’s sprint team are considered Australia’s strongest medal prospects at the Olympics, after they won the world title in 2022 (at the same velodrome that will host the Games) and placed second at last year’s world championships.
“We’re obviously going to aim for gold – there’s no point in settling for anything else,” said Leigh Hoffman, who will ride alongside Glaetzer and Matthew Richardson in the three-rider event. “Even if we did get a silver medal, we’d still be pretty devastated – even though that would be the best result Australia’s got since [2000] where they first introduced the team sprint.”
The team sprint was added to the program at the Sydney Olympics, with Australia winning bronze on home soil. The Australian men have finished fourth at every subsequent Games, losing the bronze medal race on five consecutive occasions (Glaetzer has featured in three, since making his debut at London 2012). Gold in Paris would be a historic moment for a nation with a strong pedigree in track cycling.
“We’re aiming for that gold medal and don’t want anything else,” added Hoffman, who holds the world record for the fastest 250m sprint from a standing start. “It’s always in the back of our mind: gold, gold, gold. The confidence and determination to win that gold is at the highest level it’s ever been in Australian track cycling I’d say.”
Standing in the Australians’ way will be the Netherlands, who claimed gold in Tokyo and have won five out of the past six world titles. But Glaetzer insisted his team were not overawed by their Dutch counterparts.
“From my perspective, I mean, I always see the Dutch as the favourites – they’re always a powerhouse to beat,” he said. “But we have beaten them before. Us as a team, we’re just making sure that we are gonna go as fast as possible – and that’s all we can control.”
The men’s team sprint will be the second medal event on the track cycling program, which takes place during the second week of the Olympics. Two of the three Australians will also compete in the individual sprint and the keirin later in the week.
