Swift prevails in men's scratch race

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Ben Swift won Great Britain's second gold of the opening night of competition, his first ever world title in a gutsy victory in the men's scratch race. Swift held off a late surge by South Africa's Nolan Hoffman to win the men's 15-kilometer scratch race. Wim Stroetinga of the Netherlands finished third.

Swift chased down Austria Andreas Mueller and Italy's Elia Viviano who had surged ahead of the field with seven laps remaining.

With one lap to go, and with his escape companions tiring, Swift surged ahead with a margin just enough to hold off the remnants of the field.

"I knew somebody was going to attack in the finish, and just tried to play it cool and make other people chase. It's definitely the hardest I've ever had to work for a track cycling race," Swift said.

Hoffman explained that his result was somewhat of a breakthrough.

"I've been to all the world cups and I've struggled a bit and I always thought the world champs is going to be hard," Hoffman said.