Kern County Firefighter Jimmy Watkins made quite a debut Saturday in sprint cycling. He won his first two races to book a spot in Sunday's quarterfinal round.
On Sunday, Watkins was up against an Australian rider. It was a best out of three series - win two races and he's on to the final four. Unfortunately, Shane Perkins of Australia beat Watkins in the first two races to knock Watkins out of medal contention.
The quarterfinal losers then raced in a four-person race to determine who finished 5th through 8th. Watkins wound up in 6th place overall.
After the race, Watkins e-mailed us saying, "I had a great time representing my family, Kern County Fire, and Bakersfield at the Olympics. It was a great experience and honor. Just want to say thanks to my wife Emily for supporting me through the last two years. Also all the guys at KCFD. Couldn't have done it without all the support from them. It's just been amazing all the support I've got. I'm very thankful."
On Sunday, Watkins was up against an Australian rider. It was a best out of three series - win two races and he's on to the final four. Unfortunately, Shane Perkins of Australia beat Watkins in the first two races to knock Watkins out of medal contention.
The quarterfinal losers then raced in a four-person race to determine who finished 5th through 8th. Watkins wound up in 6th place overall.
After the race, Watkins e-mailed us saying, "I had a great time representing my family, Kern County Fire, and Bakersfield at the Olympics. It was a great experience and honor. Just want to say thanks to my wife Emily for supporting me through the last two years. Also all the guys at KCFD. Couldn't have done it without all the support from them. It's just been amazing all the support I've got. I'm very thankful."