6 World Records Tumble At Olympic Cycling Track
Six world records have tumbled at the Izu Velodrome in central Japan since Olympic track cycling started on Monday.
The track, in Shizuoka Prefecture, is one of the few Olympic venues allowed to admit spectators.
China powered to a world record time in the first round of the women's team sprint on Monday, while Germany did the same in a qualifying race for the women's team pursuit.
But Britain finished the first round of the women's team pursuit in 4 minutes 6.748 seconds on Tuesday, breaking Germany's record from the previous day by 0.559 seconds.
The German team soon snatched back the record in its first round heat, however, managing a time of 4 minutes 6.166 seconds. That beat Great Britain's record by 0.582 seconds.
Then the German riders set a fresh record as they stormed to gold in the event's final around 90 minutes later. The team finished in 4 minutes 4.242 seconds, smashing its own record by 1.924.
One of the cyclists, Mieke Kroeger, said she was thrilled to win gold and that she had done all she could to prepare for the race. She added that the venue had been great for the team.
In the men's team pursuit, Italy surged to a world record time of 3 minutes 42.307 seconds in its first round race.