German Team Sprinters break Team GB world record

With just eight months to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games, Germany’s team sprint squad last night beat the world record that Great Britain had set at Beijing three years ago.

The new world record time of 42.914 was set in Cali, Colombia, which is hosting the second round of this season’s UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics series. The average speed for the three laps of the velodrome was 62.916kph.

The time is 36 thousands of a second inside the previous world best time, set by Hoy, Jamie Staff and Jason Kenny in qualification at Beijing on their way to beating France in the final.

Germany, represented by the same trio of riders that set the new benchmark yesterday – René Enders, Maximilian Levy and Stefan Nimke – took bronze at those Games.

Earlier this year, they lost to France in the world championships at Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, with Great Britain taking bronze.

Last night’s time was set during qualification, with the trio beating another three German riders, representing Team Erdgas 2012, in the final.

World champions France, missing Grégory Baugé and Kevin Sireau, finished fourth, with Venezuela beating them to take bronze.

Britain’s sole representatives at Cali, the women’s pursuit squad of Wendy Houveaghel, Sarah Storey and Laura Trott, took gold yesterday evening, beating New Zealand in the final in a time of 3:31:835.