Laura Kenny and Team GB claimed silver in the women’s team pursuit race after Germany smashed the world record at the Izu Velodrome to take gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Nearly six seconds were taken off the record during qualifying, heats and the final, smashing the 4:10.236 time set by former Welwyn Wheelers rider Kenny and teammates Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker and Joanna Rowsell Shand when they won gold at Rio 2016.
The German team of Franziska Brauße, Lisa Brennauer, Lisa Klein, Mieke Kröger qualified in 4:07.307 to smash that time, but Tuesday would see the records tumble in breath-taking day of cycling in Shizuoka.
Kenny and Archibald, along with Olympic debutants Neah Evans and Josie Knight, took on the USA in heat three, with their time of 4:06.748 setting yet another new WR and the fastest ever time by a Team GB women’s team pursuit squad.
That record would last just a matter of minutes as the Germans refused to be outdone, finishing in 4:06.159 to beat Italy and set up a mouth-watering gold medal race.
Germany were dominant in the final though, setting a searing pace to smash the world record once again and take Olympic gold with an incredible time of 4:04.242, with Team GB taking silver in 4:10.607.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the final, Kenny said: “I think they took everyone by surprise.
“They were the quickest at the World Championship, but obviously in qualifying they just never got it right. We knew they were going to go fast, maybe just not that fast.”
Kenny, Team GB’s most successful female Olympian of all-time, adds the medal to the four golds she won at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
She has the chance to become the first British woman to win an Olympic title at three games when she takes part in the omnium and madison later this week.
The 29-year-old also has the chance to become the most decorated British female Olympian in those races, a record currently held by equestrian rider Charlotte Dujardin.
Kenny is not thinking about winning medals in her next two events, joking: “I mean I’ll just keep turning up and see what happens.”
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