PARIS, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) - Australia's quartet of Oliver Bleddyn, Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy and Kelland O'Brien put down a marker with the fastest qualifying time in the Paris 2024 men's team pursuit in the Olympic Velodrome on Monday.
The team, which finished fourth in last year's World Championships, finished the 16 circuits of the 250-meter track in a near-world record of 3:42.958 at a speed of 64.586 km/h.
Australia were 0.283s faster that Britain's Ethan Hayter, Oliver Wood, Daniel Bigham and Ethan Vernon, who completed the four kilometers in 3:43.241.
World champions Denmark qualified in third place, while reigning Olympic champions Italy, whose team includes Olympic road time trial silver medalist Filippo Ganna, qualified in fourth place in 3:44.351.
The main favorites in the men's team pursuit track cycling at Paris 2024 all got through Monday's qualifying round.
The team pursuit sees teams of four riders race a distance of four kilometers in the fastest possible time, with the time of the third rider across the line taken.
Japan and Germany failed to get through qualifying, with Japan quickly down to three riders and finishing in 3.53.489, while Germany's time of 3:50.083 was over a second slower than Canada, who snuck through in eighth place. ■
