Team Pursuit (4,000 metres), Men

With 12 countries, this event had a large field, but many teams were of poor quality. Four of the six heats ended with one of the teams being overtaken, and the Turkish squad was already lapped after 2,500 metres. An error by the lap counters led the Polish team to believe they had won their heat, when in reality they were a lap short. They were nevertheless advanced into the next round. The British quartet, which featured three Wyld brothers, had impressed in the quarter-finals with a new Olympic Record, but was eliminated by Italy in the semis. The British were unlucky when one of them broke a crank in the bronze medal match, but they were allowed a re-start, and almost matched their quarter-final time, recording the two fastest times of the tournament. In the final, the home team was hampered by the loss of Gerard Bosch van Drakestein, who was down with the flu, and was replaced by a weaker rider, Janus Braspenninx. The Italians led all the way, and won their third straight Olympic title in the event.