Lewis Oliva Comes From Back Of The Pack To Take Silver For Wales

Lewis Oliva won Wales’ third medal of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with silver in the men’s keirin on Friday.

The Momouthshire track cyclist – who left British Cycling’s set-up in Manchester to return to Wales and study to be a doctor – had to win a repechage to reach the semi-finals after finishing a below-par third in his first round heat.

But Oliva stormed to victory in the first round of the repechage and then qualified for the final after taking third spot in the heat.

The 25-year-old rode a brilliant race in the final to seal a coveted silver medal behind Australia’s Matt Glaetzer. New Zealand’s Edward Dawkins claimed the bronze.

“I can’t believe it,” he told BBC Sport after the race.

“Everything for the last two years has been building up to this, and to be up with these guys in the final – brilliant.

“If you’re going to come all this way to Australia you want to get your money’s worth, so to go through the repechage and get an extra ride, as if that was the plan, but it’s absolutely brilliant.”

Oliva is currently studying medicine at Cardiff University and is on their sporting high performance programme.

Riding for Team Wales, the 25-year-old has been contesting the sprint disciplines at the 2017-18 UCI World Cup series. He is the current keirin British national champion.

Elsewhere on the track on day two of the Games, Abergavenny’s Rachel James and Newport’s Ellie Coster bowed out of the women’s sprint at the last 16 stage.