Cycling: Great Britain's Jason Kenny awarded gold after Gregory Bauge is stripped of title

Gregory Bauge, flanked by Kenny and Hoy after winning the gold medal (GETTY IMAGES)

Great Britain's Jason Kenny has been confirmed as world champion after cycling's world governing body announced France's Gregory Bauge has been stripped of his title for an anti-doping infringement.

Bauge's results at last year's Track Cycling World Championships were declared null and void after the ruling and Kenny has been awarded the gold medal.

The 22-year-old from Bolton said: "The news came as quite a surprise and whilst it's an honour to get my first senior World Championship title, I would have preferred to have achieved it under different circumstances.

"I am looking forward to riding the rest of the season wearing the rainbow jersey."

Kenny will wear the world champion's rainbow jersey up to the 2012 World Championships, which take place in Melbourne in April.

Bauge, who beat Kenny in the final in Apeldoorn, Holland, last March, was last November issued with a one-year back-dated suspension from December 23, 2010 to December 22, 2011 for a "violation of article 21.4 of the UCI Anti-doping Regulation (two breaches of applicable requirements regarding rider availability and one missed test in 18 months)".

A statement from the International Cycling Union (the UCI) read: "The UCI today informed the FFC (Federation Francaise de Cyclisme) that all the results obtained by the rider and by any team of which he was a member during that period have been nullified by this decision.

"The UCI is therefore obliged to correct the results of the events in which Gregory Bauge participated during this period.

"As a consequence, the rider and the French team lose their individual sprint and team sprint titles won at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in March 2011."

Sir Chris Hoy is to be awarded silver behind Kenny after his bronze-medal finish in the individual sprint.

Germany trio Rene Enders, Maximilian Levy and Stefan Nimke have been given the team sprint crown from France, with France's Michael D'Almeida and Kevin Sireau stripped of their title due to team-mate Bauge's offence.

Britain's Kenny, Hoy and Matt Crampton have been promoted from bronze to silver, with Australia awarded third place.

PA