Cycling news - Kenny misses out, Australia and Britain see gold hopes dashed in men's team pursuit

ByReuters

Updated 26/02/2020 at 22:55 GMT

Laura Kenny missed out on a medal in the first medal event of the UCI track world championships, the women's scratch race, as she finished fourth.

Laura Kenny of Great Britain

Image credit: Getty Images

Kirsten Wild of the Netherlands seized gold ahead of Jennifer Valente of the USA and Maria Martins of Portugal.

Wild powers to victory as Kenny misses out on Scratch medal

It is the third time Wild has won the bunch race at the world championships and takes her overall haul to seven.

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Earlier on Wednesday, reigning champions and world record holders Australia and Britain were knocked out of gold-medal contention in the men's team pursuit.

Denmark left them trailing in the men's team pursuit qualifying round - and shattered the world record.

The blue-riband event has traditionally been a battle between Britain and Australia at both world championships and Olympics, but neither can now challenge for gold in Berlin.

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Denmark's powerhouse quartet of Lasse Norman Hansen, Julius Johansen, Frederik Madsen and Rasmus Pedersen scorched around the wooden boards, completing the 4,000m distance in 3:46.579.

Australia, who had held the world record with 3:48.012, could manage only fifth fastest with 3:50.015.

Britain, with veteran Ed Clancy going for a sixth world title in the discipline, were seventh in 3:50.341, fractionally slower than the time they rode to break the world record en route to gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

It backed up Clancy's pre-event claim that the team pursuit has evolved into a more speed-heavy discipline and while Britain will have new aerodynamic bikes and kit in Tokyo, they now know exactly how high the bar has been raised.

Australia's quartet, missing injured Kelland O'Brien who was part of their 2019 world record-breaking team, were only fifth fastest in the qualification races. Britain were seventh.

Denmark, New Zealand, France and Italy were the four fastest teams and will contest the gold and silver medals when the first round begins later on Wednesday.

Australia and Britain will be left scrapping for bronze.

Australia's women's team were also fifth-fastest in qualification, meaning they too cannot go for gold.

Britain, missing Laura Kenny, were second-quickest behind the United States whose road time trial world champion Chloe Dygert powered her team around the Berlin velodrome.

Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Eleanor Dickinson and Neah Evans compete in the Women's Team Pursuit qualifying at the UCI track cycling World Championship in Berlin on February 26, 2020.

Image credit: Getty Images

The Netherlands broke the world record, logging a time of 41.225 to take the gold in the men's team sprint, beating Great Britain back into second place.