Laura Trott and Kate Archibald celebrate setting a world record.
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Great Britain broke the women’s team pursuit world record on the first day of track cycling competition at the Olympic Games.
In the corresponding women’s event, which resumes and concludes on Saturday, Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell Shand, Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald advanced in a world record time, clocking 4:13.260.
The last of nine nations to line up in qualifying, Australia’s triple Olympian Jack Bobridge, 2012 London silver medallist Michael Hepburn, plus Alexander Edmondson and debutant Sam Welsford recorded 3mins 55.606secs for the 16-lap event.
Hoskins was training at full race speed with the rest of the team pursuit squad when she went down heavily along with three of her teammates.
Annette Edmondson, who was at the front of the team as they came quickly down the back straight into turn three, was the only rider to remain upright following an incident that could un-nerve the squad ahead of their challenge for a gold medal. “We’re super-excited and we’ve got the out for everybody”, she said.
“That’s what was expected”.
The winners of that heat go into the gold medal ride against who wins the British heat against fourth-fastest New Zealand.
They came from nowhere to triumph four years ago in London, as Sir Chris Hoy claimed the fifth of his six Olympic golds, and repeated the trick in Rio after finishing a lowly sixth at March’s Track World Championships in the English capital.
Britain have not won a world title in the discipline since 2005, but have now won gold at the 2008, 2012 and now 2016 Olympics.
The United States will meet Australia in the second semi-final after qualifying in 4:14.286.
OLYMPIC cyclist Melissa Hoskins defied the odds to be part of the Australian team that qualified third fastest in the women’s pursuit qualifier yesterday.
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“The Olympics brings the best out of people and everybody steps up to a new level”.
