Individual Pursuit (4,000 metres), Men

The format was changed from previous years. A qualifying round of 17 starters advanced only four riders to semi-final match racing, with other placements being determined by the qualifying time. The qualifying was led by 1999 World Champion Robert Bartko (GER), followed by the other advancing riders: Rob Hayles (GBR), Jens Lehmann (GER), and Bradley McGee (AUS). Bartko defeated McGee in the semis in a close race, while Lehmann easily advanced to the final against Hayles. In the final, Lehmann led early, but Bartko took over after the halfway mark, and won by just over a second, setting an Olympic record in the final, bettering the mark he had made in qualifying. Lehmann won the World Championships shortly after the Olympics, but Bartko did not compete. Bartko was World Champion again in 2005-2006, while Bradley McGee won the world title in 2002. He was hampered in Sydney because he had broken his collarbone only 10 days before the Olympics, but recovered after surgery in which the bone was stabilized with a plate and screws.