• Track Cycling World Cup

Kenny will bounce back from slump - Brailsford

Jason Kenny failed to qualify in the men's sprint at the Track Cycling World Cup © Getty Images

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Sir Dave Brailsford insists Olympic champion Jason Kenny will bounce back from his current malaise and rediscover top form.

Kenny, 25, won individual and team sprint gold at the London 2012 Games 15 months ago, but has not repeated the feat at a major international event since.

His slump continued as he failed to progress past the qualifying round of the individual sprint at the Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester.

The three-time Olympic champion was 24th fastest in the 41-man field, 0.355 seconds slower than the quickest rider Robert Forstemann, who went on to win gold.

"It [failing to qualify] will be a bitter pill for him to swallow, but it will wake him up, and they are the important things at this stage of the Olympic cycle," said British Cycling performance director Brailsford.

"Success breeds success and failure can be a catalyst to success. There are periods of success, but, like Jason not qualifying here, I think is a good thing, personally."

However Brailsford has also warned Kenny that he is not afraid to drop him if he continues to underperform, and will not be picking any rider on reputation alone.

"You have to earn your place on merit," he added. "You don't get a free ride. That is the important thing. All the little things that brought these guys and girls their Olympic success don't come for free.

"Reputations don't matter. You have to earn your place and so if he [Kenny] has got to go and earn his place, that is for a reason. He has to get his head down and graft."

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