Germany won the women's team pursuit at the UCI World Track Cycling World Championships ©Getty Images

Olympic women's team pursuit champions Germany continued their gold-medal form at the International Cycling Union (UCI) Track Cycling World Championships, winning the event in Roubaix in France.

Franziska Brauße, Lisa Brennauer, Mieke Kröger and Laura Süßemilch combined to beat Italy in the final at the Vélodrome Couvert Régional Jean-Stablinski with a time of 4min 8.752sec.

The Italians finished the first quarter of the race in front but the world record-holders quickly trimmed the deficit to finish more than five seconds quicker than their opponents, who clocked 4:13.690.

Britain claimed the bronze medal after getting the better of Canada over 4,000 metres with a time of 4:17.359.

In the men's keirin, Ductchman Harrie Lavreysen became the first rider to win the event in back-to-back years since Sir Chris Hoy of Britain in 2008.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist crossed the line with a 200m time of 10.027sec to beat compatriot Jeffrey Hoogland and Russian Cycling Federation's Mikhail Iakovlev, who respectively came second and third.

Italians Liam Bertazzo, Simone Consonni, Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan won the men's team pursuit as they led from start to finish against France, recording a time of 3:47.192 compared to the hosts' 3:49.168.

The result makes the quartet the first Italians to win the event since Adler Capelli, Cristiano Citton, Mario Benetton and Andrea Collinelli in 1997, and Italy have like the German women added a world title to their Olympic gold medal.

Britain picked up another bronze after coming from behind to pip Denmark in the ride for third place.

Frenchman Donavan Grondin won the men's scratch race after completing the 60 laps in 16:29.

Belgian Tuur Dens and Britain's Rhys Britton secured silver and bronze in that order.

In the last race of the day, women's elimination, Letizia Paternoster outpaced Belgium's Lotte Kopecky at the death in a thrilling final lap.

Jennifer Valente of the United States won the bronze medal after losing sight of the pair earlier on.

It was the first time that the event has ever been contested at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

The World Championships continue tomorrow with four events - the men's 1-kilometre time trial, men's individual pursuit, women's sprint and women's omnium - all reaching their finale.