Joanna Rowsell falls short on barren day for GB

Defending champion Joanna Rowsell finished fourth in the women’s individual pursuit as Great Britain failed to win a medal on day three of the Track World Championships.

Defending champion Joanna Rowsell finished out of the medals in the individual pursuit. Picture: Getty

Rowsell was part of the women’s team pursuit squad which saw their four-year unbeaten run ended on Thursday’s second day in Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines, near Paris, picking up silver behind Australia.

Rowsell won her first solo world title in the three-kilometres individual pursuit in Colombia last year, but qualified in fourth.

The 26-year-old met Amy Cure in the ride-off for bronze and once again Australia prevailed. Cure clocked three minutes 32.907 seconds to Rowsell’s 3mins 36.330secs.

Scotland’s Katie Archibald, who was also in the British team which won silver on day two, clocked 3:31.276 to place fifth in qualifying and miss out on a ride for a medal.

Britain have two medals from the opening three days of competition, both silvers in the team pursuit disciplines.

Britain’s Jess Varnish beat the legendary Anna Meares in the second round to advance to the quarter-finals at the first time of asking. Meares then crashed out in the repechage.

But Varnish lost her first quarter-final bout to another Aussie, Stephanie Morton by a tyre’s width in a photo finish, meaning she had to win the second to set up a decider and have any chance of advancing to the semi-finals. However, the Australian had too much speed and claimed a comfortable win, sending the Briton into the race for fifth to eighth place.

Scotland’s Callum Skinner was seventh and Kian Emadi 12th in the men’s one-kilometre time-trial. Skinner clocked 1:01.071 and Emadi 1:01.736 as France’s Francois Pervis won his second gold of the competition, defending his title a day after winning the Keirin. Pervis clocked 1:00.207.

Mark Christian was 17th in the men’s points race, won by Russia’s Artur Ershov.