Kristina Vogel, a multiple Olympic and World Championship medalist, has questioned how the British track team peaks for the Olympic Games every four years. Looking at the team’s relatively poorer performances at the World Championships between the Olympics, she said, “they were to an extent cannon fodder.”

In Rio, the British team has won gold in four events, and silver in two others. Vogel won the bronze in the women’s team sprint, for which Great Britain failed to qualify.

“I don’t want to make any allegations about anyone, but it is questionable. They all come at such a level – I have no idea how they do that,” she said, according to sport1.de.

“Of course we wonder about it, they were to an extent cannon fodder. I don’t know, if maybe they don’t train those three years. They must be doing something right.”

At the 2015 Track World Championships, for example, Great Britain won only a total of three silver medals. In 2016, with the Worlds in London, Great Britain topped the leader board with five golds, one silver and three bronze medals.

There are still three events to be decided in Rio, the women’s sprint, women’s omnium and men’s kieren.