Joanna Rowsell followed up her world record-breaking form at the season-opening Track World Cup by qualifying quickest for the individual pursuit as Britain’s women set the standard in Manchester.
Rowsell, part of the team pursuit victory romp on Friday where the British four twice broke the world record, powered around the 3000m in 3:34.31minutes to set up a gold-medal clash against Australia’s Rebecca Wiasak.
Double world champion Becky James eased into the semi-finals of the individual sprint as compatriot Jess Varnish had to make do with fifth place.
James, sprint and keirin winner in Minsk in February, will meet Varnish’s conqueror Kristina Vogel of Germany in the last four while Olympic champion Anna Meares of Australia, racing for factory team Jayco, faces off against Hong Kong’s Wai Sze Lee.
Olympic omnium champion Laura Trott got underway in the six-discipline event with a solid start to lie seventh overall after the flying lap and points race. France’s Laurie Berthon leads from Canadian Gillian Carleton.
Trott’s fellow London 2012 gold medalist, Bolton-born Jason Kenny, kept up his fine year in the keirin as the world champion progressed smoothly into the second round.
In the men’s individual pursuit Andrew Tennant was beaten by Tom Bohli in a frantic contest where the Swiss scorched off at world-record pace.
Despite the home rider’s best efforts, Bohli held on for a place in the bronze-medal battle against Spain’s Sebastian Mora Vedri while Italian Marco Coledan will meet Alexander Serov of Russia in the final.
Jon Dibben stayed seventh in the men’s omnium with one race remaining as Belgian Jasper De Buyst kept his nose ahead of Dutchman Tim Veldt and world champion Aaron Gate of New Zealand, who was felled in a multi-rider pile up in the scratch race.
© Sportsbeat 2013