SAINT QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES: Britain's women blazed to gold in the Olympic track cycling team sprint when they powered to victory against New Zealand with their third world record.
Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane made sure the track cycling programme began with a bang as they dominated the competition in stunning fashion, earlier today.
Welsh rider Finucane, the individual world champion, made it a glorious Olympic debut as she led the team home.
Britain had not even qualified a team for the team sprint since 2012 but came in with great expectations and did not disappoint as they dominated the opening event of the week.
They clocked a world record 45.186 seconds in the final with New Zealand's trio of Rebecca Petch, Shaane Fulton and Ellesse Andrews finishing in 45.659. World champions Germany had to be content with the bronze medal after beating the Netherlands.
Defending Olympic champions China were a poor sixth.
Britain has been a track powerhouse ever since the Beijing Olympics but the women's sprint had not been a happy hunting ground. That all changed on Monday.
They began the session by breaking China's world record in the qualifying round to make a statement of intent.
Incredibly, favourites Germany, with trio Pauline Grabosch, Emma Hinze and Lea Friedrich, lowered the mark again in the first-round heats, before New Zealand went even quicker.
Britain then beat Canada in their heat in yet another world record to reach the final and guarantee a medal.
New Zealand started well and had a narrow lead but Britain stormed back and there was no stopping Finucane.--Reuters.