Australian women break world record for world cycling title

Paris, Feb 20: The Australian women’s team set a new world record to lift the team pursuit title at the World Track Cycling Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

Australian women clocked four minutes and 13.683 seconds on Thursday, shaving 2.869 off Britain’s previous best. Britain had to settle for silver with 4:16.702.

Both men’s and women’s team pursuit Olympic champions Britain also lost their edge in the men’s event where New Zealand won in 3:54.088. Britain came in second in 3:54.687. Cada beat New Zealand for women’s team bronze while Australia overcame Germany for men’s third place.

In the individual events, Frenchman Francois Pervis retained men’s keirin title ahead of Edward Dawkins from New Zealand while Lucas Liss of Germany won men’s scratch race. Russian Astasia Voynova bagged the gold medal in women’s 500m time-trial. IANS