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Keirin close-in German tactics deny Nothstein second medal
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- What do you get when you put two Germans in a Japanese bicycle race that is won by a Frenchman? If you're Marty Nothstein, you get nothing. Nothstein came up short in his bid for a second Olympic medal after the Germans used team tactics to block him Thursday night in the Keirin. He finished in fifth place one night after winning gold in the men's match sprint. The Keirin gold medal went to Florian Rousseau of France. Gary Neiwand of Australia won the silver and Jens Fiedler of Germany, with help from teammate Jan van Eijden, won bronze. "They wanted one of their guys to win," Nothstein said. "If that means slowing down the other riders, then that's what happens. We had some medals handed out because of teamwork." Nothstein, of Trexlertown, Pa., was fighting mad as the race ended. He slugged van Eijden, who finished fourth, as they rode down the front straight out of medal contention. "It wasn't a hard hit, just more because of anger," Nothstein said. "I would have had an Olympic medal. He was protecting Fiedler, just doing his job. It's hard to swallow because team tactics were used."
The whole thing came out sounding like a bad joke, especially after Fiedler denied anything was amiss. Asked if he had an advantage because of his teammate, Fiedler smirked and said: "Everybody goes into the race alone. We had the same jersey but not the same tactics. Everybody wants to win." Nothstein was trying to add another medal after winning the match sprint Wednesday, the first Olympic gold by an American cyclist since 1984. It was the first U.S. cycling gold at non-boycotted games since 1904. It was too bad for Nothstein that the American program wasn't deep enough to provide him some help in the Keirin. "I didn't have a teammate and it makes it difficult," he said. "I was on my way to another medal. It was pretty obvious." Yes, it was. When Fiedler made his move with a little more than two laps to go, van Eijden looked back to find Nothstein. And from there, van Eijden's job was to block the American to ensure a medal for Germany. "In this event, that kind of stuff happens," said Sean Petty, director of the U.S. team. "When you're the strongest rider, you hope nothing goofy happens. If you're not the strongest rider, you hope something goofy happens." The strongest rider this week was Nothstein, who had the fastest qualifying time in the sprint and then powered his way to his gold medal by blowing past Fiedler in the sprint semifinals and Rousseau in the finals. In the Keirin he even made an extra ride through the repecharge, the event's version of a loser's bracket. Nothstein lost in the first round to van Eijden and Frederic Magne of France. "My legs were a little stale," Nothstein said. "I made a tactical error. When the Frenchman attacked, I went with him when I should have just held back and then made my move." He came back strong to win the repecharge and his second-round heat. The Keirin, making its Olympic debut in Sydney, is wildly popular in Japan, where people can bet on professional riders. But to safeguard against illicit gambling, Japanese officials require cyclists to train and ride individually. It's a system that sounds good to Nothstein. "With the Keirin being a first-time event in the Olympics, hopefully things can be worked out," he said. "All along, I didn't think there should be two riders from the same team in there." In the 2-kilometer Keirin, cyclists draft behind a rider who gradually accelerates to 30 mph. When about two laps remain, the pacer leaves the track and cyclists sprint 500 meters to the finish. Marcelo Arrue of Woodland Hills, Calif., lost his first Keirin heat and moved into the repecharge. He was grouped into the same repecharge heat with Nothstein and didn't advance to the second round.
Olga Slyussareva of Russia won the bronze. Erin Veenstra-Mirabella of Colorado Springs, Colo., placed 10th.
Belgium won the silver and Italy the bronze. The Americans didn't have a team in the Madison, which derives its name from six-day races at Madison Square Garden in the early 1900s.
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