Last and team-mate Evie Richards set the pace in the opening laps of the 27.6 kilometre race on a circuit built for these Games.

The duo pulled clear of their rivals early in the proceedings, with Richards on the front producing a fearsome tempo.

Richards remained in front for two of the six laps contested but Last was never more than a couple of seconds adrift.

She took her opportunity in the third lap to begin pushing away from her 21-year-old team-mate, the lead growing throughout the duration of the event.

Last, the first British woman to win a World Cup race last year, held an advantage of over 50 seconds heading into the final lap.

It almost became a victory lap for the English rider as she avoided accidents on the challenging course to come into the finish straight with her lead firmly intact.

The English rider had time time to ease towards the line and raise her arms to the air in celebration, taking the gold medal in a time of 1hour 18min 02sec.

Last was there to greet her team-mate Richards, who claimed the silver medal 48 seconds behind.

The result continues to show the potential of the two-time under-23 cyclo-cross world champion, a silver medallist in the junior event at the Mountain Bike World Championships in 2015.

Canada’s Hayley Smith rounded off the podium places as she ended in a time of 1:20.26, with compatriot Emily Batty unable to upgrade on her Glasgow 2014 silver medal.

The men’s event saw the medals remain uncertain up until the final lap of proceedings, with defending champion Anton Cooper battling team-mate Samuel Gaze and South Africa’s Alan Hatherly.

The trio were unable to be separated for the first six laps of the event as they pulled away from the field, leaving the medallists in little doubt, with just the order to be decided.

Shortly after crossing the line for the penultimate time, the race exploded into life with Gaze suffering a puncture, requiring him to stop in the technical zone.

Cooper immediately sensed his chance and surged away from Hatherly, who was left splitting the two New Zealanders.

A superb recovery from Gaze saw him catch and pass Hatherly, before closing on his compatriot Cooper.

The pair would be reunited as the finish approached in the velodrome, with doubts over how much the chase had taken out of Gaze’s finishing speed.

The New Zealander showed little fatigue as he was able to outsprint Cooper to claim gold in a time of 1:17:36.

"I lost about 15 seconds but I was lucky to get it back on that last lap,” Gaze reflected on his mechanical.

“I just had to believe in myself and keep telling myself I could do it.

"I knew I needed to close that gap because if I didn't, I wouldn't win the race.

“Although at that stage, all that was on my mind was just getting back on my bike as quickly as I could, and I'm really grateful that I got the job done.

"I had a lot of motivation to win, although I wasn't expecting a gold.

"I'm proud of myself and how I was able to overcome the hard times in that race, and the flat.”

Cooper would have to settle for the bronze medal on the same time as his team-mate, with his reign as Commonwealth Games champion coming to an end.

Hatherly would cross the line 20 seconds behind the two New Zealanders, giving the South African a well earned bronze medal.