Rising British track star Carlin praised by Hoy, but fears rinsing from old Paisley ties

The last time a major track cycling event was held in Glasgow, Great Britain sprinter Jack Carlin was a paying spectator in the stadium named after the six-time Olympic champion who is now tipping him for the top.

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Carlin was still a junior when he attended the 2014 Commonwealth Games at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, cheering a Scotland team which featured his current Great Britain team-mate, Katie Archibald.

"I was sitting in the stands watching everyone and I just thought to myself, 'that's where I want to be one day'," Carlin said on Tuesday after his first training session for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships.

Four years on, Carlin can barely believe that he is attracting the attention of track legend HOY as he prepares to partner with Great Britain’s only other six-time Olympic gold medallist, Jason Kenny, in the team sprint.              

"You have the feeling that if he won a big championships it would just be another stepping stone towards the next," Hoy said of the 21-year-old Carlin. "(But) it's not just about looking forward, it's about enjoying the moment and winning a European Championships jersey."                                                         

For his part, Carlin said: "Chris was a role model of mine when I first started cycling, especially when I moved into the sprint side of things.

"Chris Hoy was the boy, and he is still probably the best known track cyclist out there. What Chris and Jason have done for track sprinting and Team GB is going to be a really hard thing to follow."

Despite his meteoric rise, Carlin has not forgotten his roots in Paisley, a former industrial town located 10 miles west of Glasgow.

He will be backed in his home velodrome by both sides of his family as well as his old school friends, with whom he went on a "local boys' holiday" to Tenerife in the days after winning the sprint silver medal at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in April.

"They're all coming to watch throughout the week so there's pressure on that side of things, especially with my pals as you know the rinsing [teasing] they'll give you," he said. "Put it this way, I'd probably get a good slaughtering if they'd paid for tickets and I get knocked out in the first round."

Carlin said most of his family are yet to see him race live at such a high level. “I think they’re all rather excited, especially my mum. She’s a bit bonkers when it comes to this (and) no doubt she’ll have a banner somewhere. You’ll hear my mum, she’s loud."

Carlin is also expecting to compete in the individual sprint and the keirin events when the Glasgow 2018 European Track Cycling Championships begin on Thursday (2 August).

For more information: https://www.glasgow2018.com/bethere-trackcycling