Track Cycling World Championships: British trio break world record for second time to claim gold

After the men triumphed on day one, Britain’s women also improved their own world record in the final competition before the Olympics track programme – but the 2.428-second improvement means they must now revise their Games goal after going faster sooner than anticipated.

Rowsell, King and Trott clocked three minutes, 15.720 seconds to ensure Britain have now won four of the five titles since the 3km event was incorporated into the World Championships programme in 2008. Australia’s Annette Edmondson, Melissa Hoskins and Josephine Tomic were second in three minutes, 16.943 seconds, with Canada third ahead of New Zealand in an event which will make its Olympic debut in London.

The 21-year-old King and 19-year-old Trott now have two world titles from two attempts, while Rowsell, who missed out on selection in 2011 following illness and injury, is a three-time world champion after reclaiming the prized rainbow jersey she most recently won in 2009 in Pruszkow.

The 23-year-old Rowsell, from Cheam, said: “I can’t believe I’m world champion again – it has been three years. I so badly wanted that rainbow jersey back.

“We’re surprised how fast we’ve ridden here – we might need to adjust our targets now.

“We knew we were going to have to break the world record to win today – we didn’t quite know how much by. Three minutes and 15 seconds is great. We didn’t think we’d see this time until August.”

Rowsell was reserve in Apeldoorn, and believes Wendy Houvenaghel, the 37-year-old world champion from 2008, 2009 and 2011, remains in the selection mix ahead of London despite being a spectator yesterday.

“We’re all going to keep getting faster and faster,” added Rowsell. Britain and Australia each improved upon the world record of 3:18.148 set by Rowsell, King and Trott at February’s London Track World Cup.

Australia were first to officially break the mark, clocking 3:17.053 in qualifying before Britain went faster still in 3:16.850 to set up the final decider.

As Britain started steadily, the hosts set the early pace in the final and led by almost 1.5 seconds before a phenomenal last kilometre – including a two-lap turn at the front from Trott – saw Britain win by 1.233 seconds.

Trott said: “We knew we had to go quicker after the London World Cup. We wanted to beat them on their home soil, especially before the Olympics. It puts out a strong message. They’ve got to beat us now – at our home.”

Composure was integral to the victory, according to King. She said: “They were about a second and a half up – that’s quite a lot – but the key for us was we managed to sustain our speed that we had in the first six laps in the second six laps. That ultimately won us the race.”

Trott is now poised to compete in the six-event omnium, which begins today.

King, meanwhile, is set to compete in the non-Olympic 10km (40 laps) scratch race on day three.

Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s sprint, where she will meet old adversary, defending champion Anna Meares of Australia, who set a world record of 10.782 in qualifying to get a favourable draw. Pendleton was fifth fastest before beating Yvonne Hijgenaar of Holland, China’s Junhong Lin and then Virginie Cueff of France in the best-of-three quarter-final.

The men’s sprint featuring four Britons – Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy, defending champion Jason Kenny, Matt Crampton and Philip Hindes – begins today and concludes tomorrow, while the men’s omnium is completed on day three with Ed Clancy in third overnight.

Clancy won the flying lap and was placed seventh in the points race and tenth in the elimination race to be in the medal hunt with three disciplines remaining.

Steven Burke, who won team pursuit gold alongside Clancy on day one, was tenth in the non-Olympic 1km time-trial, clocking 1:02.180 as Germany’s Stefan Nimke took gold in 1:00.082.