After winning the fourth world keirin title of his career with the most outrageous of moves in the final banking, Sir Chris Hoy hopes it has earned him a place in the event at London 2012. It would be a brave, if not foolhardy, selector, who omits the knight of the realm after this showing. The Scot's victory at the London test event in the motor-paced sprint was one of the highlights in February and here he backed up that performance, taking Great Britain's gold medal tally to six.

This was Hoy's 11th world title, taken in the most astounding fashion. In the final banking the Scot, riding in third, would have been expected to go the long way round over the top, but instead he dived through a minute gap between Maximilian Levy on his left and the New Zealander Simon van Velthooven to his right. He nudged Van Velthooven slightly, just enough to give him space to emerge and blast down the finish straight to win from Levy. It all happened in a fraction of a second at a speed approaching 50mph, the perfect expression of the blend of courage, incisiveness and speed that makes Hoy such a supreme competitor.

It was, he confessed, the only way he could escape after making a rare mistake. "I made the error of waiting too long, I hesitated. With half a lap to go it was looking pretty bleak. I was sure Jason [Kenny] would go with everything he had but he waited, too. It was the last chance I had. I knew they were fanning out and would go three abreast around the final corner and as soon as the flick came from the Kiwi, the door opened. I thought I had a chance of getting silver but Levy seemed to tire in the last few metres. I just coasted across the line, threw the bike and thought I'd won it."

With the destiny of the sole Olympic slot in the match sprint still up for grabs after he and Kenny took bronze and silver on Saturday, Hoy was clearly resolved that Sunday would not end the same way. "I was frustrated with myself. I wanted to make amends. I was determined to secure the place for the Olympics. It's been a right battle all the way with Matt [Crampton] and Jason."

This could, Hoy confessed, have been his last world championships, depending on what decision he makes over his future after the London Games. "Every world championship is special. This is special because it's my last race before the Olympics and potentially my last world championships. I don't know if it is or not."

Whether he stays or goes, this one moment will stand out as a highlight of his career, along with the 48mph surge that won the London World Cup, and the epic riding from the front that won him gold in Beijing four years ago.

The keirin has a lottery element about it, but few would now bet against a repetition of that medal in London.