One of Scotland’s most successful athletes in history, the two-time Olympian hangs up his wheels with a quartet of Olympic medals to his name, having won a brace in both Tokyo and Paris. Furthermore, Carlin boasts a trio of Commonwealth Games medals won in Gold Coast and Birmingham.
Having found track cycling after a football injury, he joined Glasgow Riderz where his natural talent quickly blossomed and he never looked back. After success in the junior ranks, Carlin burst onto the international scene shortly after joining the Great Britian Cycling Team Senior Academy in 2016, where he teamed up with fellow academy riders Ryan Owens and Joe Truman to form a formidable team sprint line-up, winning gold at the 2016 U23 European Championships in Montichiari, Italy. The trio went on to compete at the elite Europeans later that year, taking a silver medal at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France), a velodrome that would go on to be pivotal in Carlin’s career.
After a maiden individual medal at World Cup level in 2017, Carlin would head to Gold Coast early in 2018 and win a sensational silver medal in the Sprint, his first of three Commonwealth Games medals.
The Paisley man is well known for taking things in his stride, but when he steps onto the boards you’ll struggle to find a fiercer competitor. Waiting patiently for the delayed 2020 Olympic Games, Carlin would take to the biggest stage of all like a duck to water, winning silver in the Team Sprint before beating Jeffery Hoogland to bronze in the individual event.
With little respite after the delayed Games, quickly came another chance to represent Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where Carlin secured the first keirin medal of his career, a silver, along with a bronze in the sprint. A month later, Jack went on to take sprint silver in the European Track Championships in Munich, adding bronze in the team sprint, a feat the squad would also achieve at the World Championships later in the year.
One of the greatest moments of Carlin’s career however came in 2023, when he competed in his home city of Glasgow at the inaugural multi-discipline UCI Cycling World Championships. Cheered on by an adoring home crowd, Carlin once again delivered when it mattered, winning bronze in the sprint, an emotional end to a week of highs and lows.
Having overcome a broken ankle just weeks before the Games, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Carlin’s second, saw a fantastic start for him and team sprint teammates Hamish Turnbull and newcomer Ed Lowe, who flew to a new British record of 41.814, to take superb silver medals. Individually, Carlin battled through intense rounds of the men’s sprint event, eventually claiming a bronze medal, his fourth Olympic medal over an incredibly successful career, to top off what would be his final Olympic experience.
All told, Jack hangs up his wheels having won four Olympic medals, five world championship medals and six European medals at elite level; an incredible feat.
Of his decision to step away from racing, Carlin told Scottish Cycling:
“I’m super proud of what I’ve achieved in my career, and looking back if you’d have told 17 year old Jack, who was sitting watching the 2014 Commonwealth Games, that 10 years on he’d be walking away as Scotland’s third most decorated male Olympian, and that he’d have been to two Olympic Games and multiple major championships, I don’t think he’d have believed you!
“It’s been a journey that has taken me to so many different places across the world that I wouldn’t have otherwise had to the opportunity to see, and I’m really happy with my decision to call it time now – I don’t feel I’ve got the motivation to give another four years of my life to something that you need to give 100% to.
“I’ve also created a whole host of new friendships through the sport, and the sport has helped make me a much more well-rounded person. That being said, I’m really excited for the next step in my life, away from riding a bike round in circles!”
He went on to add:
“Scottish Cycling have been pivotal throughout my whole career, starting as a youth at the School Games and Inter-Regionals, and their support always allowed me to grow as both an athlete and a person.
“The two Commonwealth Games I competed in for Team Scotland are some of my fondest memories I have of competing and riding my bike round in a circle! The support I received from Scottish Cycling, especially during the 2022 season, when I moved back up to Glasgow to freshen up my environment after the Tokyo Olympics, allowed me to thrive in terms of winning medals and catapulting myself towards the Paris Olympic Games.”
Having long-credited his almost decade-long career to the legacy of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Carlin is incredibly invested in the opportunities the upcoming 2026 Games, returning to Glasgow, can create for young Scots.
He has been working closely with the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company as part of their Athlete Advisory Committee to raise awareness and showcase the upcoming Games, and is keen to be heavily involved with the wider event, or with Team Scotland. Jack is passionate about harnessing Scottish talent and showcasing the country and cycling on a global scale, and sees Glasgow 2026 as the perfect opportunity to do this as he moves into a life away from elite competition.
Commenting on his impact, Scottish Cycling Head of Performance & Coaching, David Somerville, said:
“Jack has been an outstanding ambassador for Scottish Cycling, British Cycling and for the sport of cycling as a whole. The way he raced – with fearless commitment, tactical intelligence, and a relentless will to win – perfectly embodied the determination and pride that define Scottish sport.
“His journey from his early days with Scottish Cycling to the Olympic podium is a testament to the hard work, professionalism, and character of not only Jack, but also his family and support team. Beyond his results, Jack’s humility and the respect he’s earned from teammates and rivals alike show the measure of the man.
“He leaves the sport as one of Scotland’s finest ever cyclists, and we wish him every success in whatever comes next.”