The Canadians set off at a blistering pace in the final, opening up a one second lead by the two kilometre mark.

But the world record holders and Olympic champions reeled in their opponents as the race progressed and despite a lost wheel for Elinor Barker, they crossed the line just over a second ahead of the Canadians with a time of 4min 23.407sec.

"It's a tough track to ride but we are over the moon to get the win," said Joanna Rowsell afterwards, who was joined on the podium by Barker, Laura Trott and 19-year-old Katie Archibald.

"We were riding to our schedule in the first half of the race and our coach kept telling us we were down.

"We were panicking a bit, thinking it's never going to come back.

"It was just a race all the way to the line, everyone gave their all and I think we were all on our knees at the end there."

That represented a fourth win in the event for Rowsell and Trott, a second for Barker, while Archibald is making her first appearance at a Track Cycling World Championships.

Australia secured third spot.

In the other women's race of the day in Colombia, Germany's Miriam Welte made it two gold medals in two days as she added the 500 metres sprint crown to the team sprint from yesterday.

The 27-year-old overcame Australia's world record holder and Olympic champion Anna Meares with a time of 33:451 in the final while Russia's Anastasia Voinova took bronze.

German Miriam Welte claimed her second gold in two days in Cali ©Getty Images



Another Australian, Alexander Edmondson, followed the example set by Welte as he also claimed a second world title following victory in the men's team pursuit.

This time he crossed the line first in the individual pursuit ahead of Switzerland's Stefan Kueng, clocking 4.22.582, with third place going to New Zealander Marc Ryan.

"Well people who say dreams don't come true are wrong," said the Aussie.

"I proved tonight they do.

"What a magical moment."

France celebrated its first gold of the Championships after Francois Pervis powered his way to gold ahead of local favourite Fabian Hernando Puerta Zapata in the keirin event, to follow in the footsteps of Laurent Gane who was the last Frenchman to win the world title in 2003.

The Netherland's Matthijs Buchli took bronze.

In the men's scratch race, history was made as Ivan Kovalev became the first Russian to claim a world title in the discipline ahead of Ireland's Martyn Irvine and Hong Kong's King Lok Cheung.

The action in Cali  is due to continue until Sunday (March 2).

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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