Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald took gold for Great Britain as they won the first ever Olympic women’s Madison in dominant fashion.
It was a fifth career Olympic gold for Kenny, who surpassed Dutchwoman Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel to become the most successful female cyclist in Olympic history as she took gold at a third consecutive Games.
The British pair looked in control from the off, winning the first three sprints on the track and then further extending their advantage after the Dutch pair of Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters, reigning world champions, were caught in a crash with a little over 70 laps remaining.
A MADISON MASTERCLASS 🇬🇧 GOLD for @LauraKenny31 and @_katiearchibald 🥇 Dominance from this incredible duo 🔥#TeamGB #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/BOGMWaCB9d — British Cycling (@BritishCycling) August 6, 2021
In the second half of the race the British duo got themselves in a series of breakaways, hoovering up points in the sprints and gaining a lap with a little over 20 to go to build an all-but-insurmountable lead.
By the end of the race, they had won 10 of the 12 sprints – including the double points for the last lap – to finish with 78 points, more than twice the tally of second-placed Denmark on 35.
