The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome outside Paris is considered to be a fast track, but a perfect storm of low barometric pressure, high temperatures and humidity and the intensity of the 2024 Olympic Games competition sent the world records plummeting on Monday.
The women’s team sprint kicked off with the qualifying round, during which Great Britain’s Katy Marchant, Emma Finucane, and Sophie Capewell broke China’s world record set in June, chipping 0.01 seconds off the record with a 45.472.
Since the women are only three years into having a three-rider, 750-metre team sprint, the record was expected to be challenged, but by the end of the night, Great Britain’s trio had slashed the new world record to a stunning 45.186 en route to the gold medal.
The British record soon fell, however, when the defending Olympic champions from Germany knocked a massive 0.095 seconds off. Pauline Grabosch, Emma Hinze and Lea Friedrich set a time of 45.377.
Shockingly, their result would only qualify the team for the bronze medal round, because in the very next heat, New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews, Shaane Fulton, Rebecca Petch went 0.029 quicker at 45.348.
Not to be undone, the British team thrilled the packed house in the next heat, chipping 0.01 second off the mark just set by the Kiwis with a 45.338.
In two rounds of racing, the record had dropped a whopping 0.144 seconds off of the previous record with the finals still to come.
Great Britain moved on to the gold medal round to face New Zealand, where they further shattered the pre-existing mark becoming the new Olympic champions and record holders with a 45.186.
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