It is a fourth consecutive gold medal in the discipline for the German team, with Lea Friedrich, Pauline Grabosch, and Emma Hinze continuing the country's dominance at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

They combined for the world record time of 45.848sec, which saw Friedrich and Hinze better their Olympic silver medal from Tokyo 2020 and beat the world record they had set at last year's World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, when they had clocked 45.967.

Britain's Lauren Bell, Sophie Capewell, and Emma Finucane were also inside the old record as they finished 0.75 seconds behind in second as the hosts won a silver to get on the medals table. 

Olympic champion Bao Shanju produced a blistering performance but could not do enough to make China, whose team also included Guo Yufang and Yuan Liying, win the discipline for the first time since 2015 as they had to settle for the bronze medal in 46.543.

The United States' Chloe Dygert won her fourth world title in the women's individual pursuit by beating defending champion Franziska Brause of Germany in the final in 3min 17.542sec.

New Zealander Bryony Botha did enough to seal bronze with a time of 3:22.210.

Dygert, the world record holder, also won the title in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

"It feels really special, hearing the national anthem again because it's been a long three years," the 26-year-old said.

Britain's men's team pursuit title defence ended early following a crash to Charlie Tanfield but the day ended in spectacular fashion when William Tidball stormed to gold in the men's scratch race.

The 23-year-old from Devon surged from the pack on the last lap of 60 around the wooden oval and crossed the line in first place ahead of Japan's Kazushige Kuboki.

"To come here and become world champion at the first time of asking is what dreams are made of," Tidball, who tucked himself in the main pack throughout the race, said.

"I thought I had left it a bit late. 

"One of the riders died off. 

"In that last bit, I was holding on and praying nobody would get round me."

Tanfield, the 2018 Commonwealth Games individual pursuit champion slipped coming out of the final corner.

The home nation were already down to three riders at that point and so they did not set an official time and were eliminated from the competition.

The first title of the Championships went the way of road cycling Paralympic champion Keiko Sugiura of Japan.

She beat The Netherlands' Aniek van den Aarssen to the women's C3 individual pursuit comfortably.  

Sugiura finished in 3:56.949, a long ahead of Van den Aarssen in 4:03.329, with Paige Greco of Australia defeating Swede Anna Beck for bronze.

British fans inside the Velodrome named after the country's six-time Olympic cycling gold medallist also had reason to celebrate as Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl won the women’s B 1 kilometre time-trial. 

Unwin and Holl clocked 1:08.302 to beat the Australian pair of Jessica Gallagher and Caitlin Wardby 0.06 seconds and win the rainbow stripes as another British pair, Lizzi Jordan and Amy Cole, took bronze.

It is the first time in history that Para cycling has been held alongside Olympic cycling disciplines, in what is the inaugural integrated edition of the Championships with seven disciplines featured.