Gold medals prove elusive for GB after men's team pursuit quartet are beaten into silver

Hoy's men's keirin title on day two remains Britain's only gold of the event so far after the men's team pursuit quartet of Ed Clancy, Steven Burke, Andy Tennant and Ben Swift were beaten into silver by old adversaries Australia at the Ballerup Super Arena last night.

Pendleton remains on course for a fourth successive women's sprint world title after progressing to today's semi-finals, while Hoy begins his bid in the corresponding men's race and will hope to pick up a second gold – and an 11th world champion's rainbow jersey – tomorrow.

Australia hold a 5-1 gold medal advantage over Britain after three days of competition, but Pendleton is confident as she aims to complete her bid for a fifth sprint title in six years.

"I honestly believe that none of these girls are going to go better than I am in the final," she said.

Australia claimed men's team pursuit victory by 0.152 seconds over Britain. Reserve rider Jason Queally watched on from the British team pit as Clancy, Burke, Tennant and Swift clocked three minutes 55.806secs in the final of the four kilometres, four-man event.

Britain were trailing throughout but narrowed the gap in the last kilometre, only for Australia's quartet of Cameron Meyer, Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis and Michael Hepburn to win in 3mins 55.654secs as two teams in the same race rode beneath 3:56 for the first time.

Meyer, who won the men's points race in commanding fashion on day one, was a formidable replacement for Australia in the final and proved the difference. "They just had the legs on us," said Clancy. "We only lost by a small margin, which sometimes makes it more of a bitter pill to swallow, but we'll come back."

Clancy expects his fellow Olympic gold medal winners Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas – absent this week concentrating on their road careers with Team Sky – to return for the London Games in 2012.

But he was proud of the squad, particularly after the fastest-ever qualification ride of 3:56.869 yesterday afternoon.

"As a team we're used to winning," said Clancy. "We're GB and people expect us to win. Anything other than a win always seems a bit of a disappointment.

"We thought a (three minutes] 56, 57 would win on this track and normally it would. We knew the Aussies are coming strong at the moment. They've got a good bunch of young lads and I guess they just did us on the day. We can't be disappointed with our ride."

Also last night, Anna Blyth was 20th in the women's scratch and David Daniell finished seventh in the men's one-kilometre time-trial.

Lizzie Armitstead, meanwhile, will ride in the women's omnium, a five-event pentathlon-style discipline on the fourth day of competition.

British sprinter Mark Cavendish abandoned the Tour of Catalunya during yesterday's fifth stage after coming down with flu three days after his first win of the season.