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Kenny family adds two medals as crash controversy rocks cycling track

Denmark's Frederik Madsen tangles with Great Britain's Charlie Tanfiled in the men's team pursuit heats Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics. (Odd Andersen, Afp/Getty Images)

The first family of track cycling isn't used to taking silver, but they'll take it.

Laura Kenny won her fifth Olympic medal, the first that isn't gold, as Great Britain finished second to Germany in the women's team pursuit on Tuesday. Germany set a world record to stop Great Britain's streak of three straight gold medals. (FULL RESULTS)

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Her husband, Jason Kenny, then took his eighth Olympic medal as Great Britain earned another silver medal in the men's team sprint behind the Netherlands, which set an Olympic record. (FULL RESULTS)

The U.S. women — Chloe Dygert, Jennifer Valente, Emma White, Megan Jastrab and Lily Williams — took bronze in the women's team pursuit, defeating Canada in the gold medal race.

Laura Kenny, previously Laura Trott, is the two-time defending champion in the women's omnium. She also won gold with her teammates in the team pursuit in the last two Olympics.

Jason Kenny began his Olympic career four years prior to his wife, and had taken gold in the team sprint three straight times before taking silver Tuesday. He's also the defending champion in the keirin and the two-time defending champion in the individual sprint, in which he also has a silver medal from 2008.

But the day wasn't all smooth sailing for Great Britain. In the men's team pursuit heats, the British team was losing to Denmark, which was going so quickly that its lead rider at the time, Frederik Madsen, caught up with lagging British rider Charlie Tanfield. With his head ticked in an aerodynamic pose, Madsen didn't see Tanfiled and crashed into him, sending both riders to the track surface. Great Britain managed to get three riders across the finish line first, but after a lengthy discussion, race officials awarded Denmark a spot in Wednesday's gold medal race. 


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