In interviews with the BBC, the British Women’s Team Sprinters said their win was a culmination of a long-term project.
In qualifying they broke the world record; in round one, the reclaimed the title having lost it to France and New Zealand – and then in the final against New Zealand they broke it once more in accompaniment to their crowning glory.
The first gold medal of the track programme went Great Britain’s way, but for them there was more to it – it was exorcising all the British anguish in the event across previous years – no qualification for Tokyo Olympics; Pendleton and Reade’s disqualification, this was the first time GB had won the Team Sprint.
If there’s ever a time to peak, it’s at the Olympics, and for a whole team to be firing on all cylinders, it takes a huge amount of planning which makes the climb to the top of the mountain all the more satisfying. The next challenge for Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane is staying at the summit.
Also on day one’s schedule was the Men’s Team Pursuit qualifying and the Men’s Team Sprint Qualifying.
In the Men’s Team Sprint, the top teams were the Netherlands, GB and Australia, all whom are medal favourites but like any sport, there’s still space for surprises.
In the Men’s Team Pursuit, Australia, GB, Denmark and Italy have a chance of progressing for the gold medal race. For France, New Zealand, Belgium and Canada, the best they can now manage is the ride-off for bronze. We will see how those events and more pan out in the coming days.