Sprint, Men

The events started on Saturday, but were delayed slightly because of the rain. When the heats finally got underway, the rain returned. In the fourth heat, Italian Severgnini fell, as did Cozens in the third heat (which was contested after heat four because the original run was aborted). Immediately, the other cyclists stopped racing, and after being consulted by the referees, the races were postponed until the next evening. On a dry track, the Dutchman Antoine Mazairac (runner-up at the 1923 and 1925 World Championships) and the young Frenchman Roger Beaufrand were the class of the field and reached the final. Beaufrand was forced to take the lead by the home favorite, who was known be an overly nervous competitor in important races. When Beaufrand went into full sprint at three-quarters of the race, Mazairac was unable to follow, and the Frenchman took the title by almost a full length. Beaufrand would also reach the final of the 1928 World Championships, which he lost against Willy Falck Hansen, the bronze medalist in Amsterdam. Mazairac would finally manage to win an important title the next year, taking the world title.