- Australia has broken the world record in the team sprint
- They are set for a gold medal competition against Team GB
- The velodrome has witnessed numerous record-breaking performances
Australia has set a new world record in the men’s team pursuit on the second day of the Olympic track cycling events.
The team, featuring Olympic medalists Sam Welsford and Kelland O’Brien, alongside newcomers Conor Leahy and Oliver Bleddyn, clocked a remarkable 4 minutes 40.730 seconds, easily surpassing the reigning champions Italy in the first round.
This achievement places them in a gold medal match on Wednesday against their long-time rivals, Great Britain.
The previous world record stood at 3:42.032, established by Italy during the Tokyo Olympics.
Additionally, Australia secured a bronze in the men’s team sprint, defeating France in their final race.
The squad of Leigh Hoffman, Matthew Richardson, and Matthew Glaetzer finished in 41.597 seconds, edging out France’s time of 41.993 in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome near Paris.
Had their earlier time been recorded in the first round, Australia would have competed against the Netherlands for the gold medal.
However, they recorded 42.336 seconds while the Dutch achieved a record-breaking performance.
Australia’s men’s team pursuit has set a new world record in Paris
The Australians are gearing up for an exciting matchup with Team GB on Wednesday
The Dutch improved the world record once more, defeating Great Britain in the final with a time of 40.979 to Great Britain’s 41.814, becoming the first team to break the 41-second barrier.
This is a significant achievement for Australia, marking their first Olympic medal in the event since their bronze win at the Sydney Games, as they openly aimed for gold.
Australia previously triumphed over the formidable Dutch to secure the 2022 world title and narrowly finished second to them at last year’s world championships.
Australia showcased their potential by qualifying fastest in the men’s team pursuit on Monday, although it was uncertain which teams were holding back their best performances for the first round.
They outran Italy by over two seconds, a considerable margin.
The last time Australia clinched the men’s team pursuit gold was at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where they also finished as runners-up to Britain in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
They secured bronze in Tokyo—Australia’s sole medal in track cycling at those Games—after Alex Porter faced a setback during qualifying when his handlebar broke.
On the same day, Australia finished sixth in the women’s team pursuit qualifying.
