Great Britain outclass USA for first gold

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Great Britain claimed their first gold medal of the championships, with a dominant start-to-finish performance over the world record holders in the women's team pursuit.

The result matched their qualifying positions however the final suggested the team from Great Britain - Laura Trott, Wendy Houvenaghel and Danielle King - were in a different class, with a winning time of 3:23.419 to the USA's 3:25.308.

Houvenaghel also explained that her team had taken into account the slow track and formulated their schedule based on that. The challenge for the three, was then to stick to it when it mattered.

"It's fantastic," she said of the dominant performance. "It's really special. It's incredible to be on that top spot on the podium again and that's where we want to stay. It's so encouraging. These girls have come a long way in a short space of time and over the next 16 months there's a lot of leeway to improve a lot more and I'm very excited about the prospect of us performing in London."

Trott and King were making their elite debuts at world championship level. For an "over the moon" King, it's been a dramatic rise to the top.

"The track was really hard to ride," the 20-year-old explained. "I was happy we were able to stick to our schedule and do it. I only started with the pursuit team last November and I've been working so hard."

The trio from the USA, Sarah Hammer, Dotsie Bausch and Jennie Reed were down from the first lap, and by the 1000m mark that had blown out to 1.361. The gap at the 2000m mark was close to 2 seconds. The USA rallied somewhat in the final laps, but then struggled to hold formation while the Great Britain team held steady.

Hammer, who will take on the gruelling schedule of the omnium on Saturday, said she was really proud of her team's efforts.
"We have come a long way in the past couple years," she said. Getting silver is almost harder than taking bronze but that I'm happy with the silver."

In the bronze medal ride-off, the New Zealand team of Alison Shanks, Jaime Nielsen and Kaytee Boyd pipped defending champions Australia in a time of 3:24.065.

Shanks, was slightly disappointed in the end result but could find positives in the ride.

"Bronze wasn't the medal they we came for, but we have to be a little happy getting a world championship medal," she admitted. "We got a bit too excited this morning, so tonight we had to hold back a little in the first half.

"The Aussies really made us race it, and they put up a good fight."

Earlier in qualifying, Great Britain was top of the pops in a time of 3:23.642 while the USA rode a 3:23.965.

Australia, with Amy Cure, Katherine Bates and Josephine Tomic struggled, with Tomic setting too high of a pace. The team posted the fourth fastest time in 3:25.253 which New Zealand bettered with 3:24.701.

Women's team pursuit final

Qualifying