Paris 2024 Olympics: British women riders break team sprint world record during qualifiers

They beat the 45.487 set by China’s Guo Yufang, Bao Shanju and Yuan Liying in June on home soil in Luoyang city.

Sophie Capewell, Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant of Team Great Britain compete, as they create a New World Record, during the Women’s Team Sprint Qualifiers on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. | Photo Credit: ALEX BROADWAY

Britain smashed the women’s team sprint world record in the Olympics qualifying competition on Monday, crossing the line in 45.472sec.

The British trio of Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant powered round the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome ahead of New Zealand and Germany.

They beat the 45.487 set by China’s Guo Yufang, Bao Shanju and Yuan Liying in June on home soil in Luoyang city.

While the velodrome in Paris is the normal standardised length, it is wider than usual, offering more momentum to the riders, with many tipping world-record times ahead of the event.

It is the first time at an Olympics that the women’s sprint has featured three riders, matching the men, working together to post the fastest time over three laps (750 metres).

In previous Games, there were only two riders over 500 metres.