Shane Perkins

:: Australia-born track cyclist Shane Perkins, a 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, has received a Russian passport, his coach Vladimir Khozov said on Monday.

The 30-year-old announced in February that the Russian Cycling Federation (RCF) offered him an opportunity of qualifying for the national team’s roster of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, reports Tass news agency.

Perkins said, however, that he had no intention of renouncing his Australian citizenship despite plans to become a Russian citizen.

On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to Perkins, who is a two-time World Champion and 2012 Olympics bronze medallist.

“Yes, he has just got it. Everything went off smoothly and without a hitch,” Khozov said.

Perkins won bronze in sprint at the 2012 Olympics in London, won the World Championship twice (in 2011 and 2012) in addition to his silver and bronze medals at the world championships, which he grabbed in 2010 and 2006 respectively.