Gold for Chris Hoy at the velodrome

British gold and silver in the keirin race

(REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen )

Britain's Chris Hoy won the men's keirin gold medal, adding to Britain's outstanding cycling medal haul so far at the Beijing Olympics.

It was Hoy's second cycling gold medal this week and he is aiming for a third.

Two-time keirin world champion Hoy dashed away from the field in the final of the keirin, an eight-lap race, where riders spend several laps jockeying for position behind a pacesetting motorcycle that accelerates steadily before leaving the competitors alone on the track for the final 625 meters.

None of Hoy's rivals could get near him in the final sprint.

With Hoy winning and countryman Ross Edgar taking silver, the British already have eight cycling medals in Beijing, four of them gold; with a fifth guaranteed on Sunday as there is an all-British final in the women's individual pursuit.

Hoy's compatriot Ross Edgar had a harder struggle, but he managed to slip across the line for the silver medal, just ahead of Kiyofumi Nagai of Japan.

Hoy was part of the British team that won the team sprint on Saturday. He will be going for his third gold in the individual sprint on Tuesday.