Italy blasted through the final 1000m in 53.506 seconds to set a world record of 3:42.032 in the 4000m men's team pursuit and rally past Denmark to take gold in track cycling action Wednesday.
Denmark, which set an Olympic record of 3:45.014 in qualifying and advanced to the gold medal final after its lead rider crashed into a lagging British rider in the heats, had a lead of nearly a full second at the 3000m mark. But the Danes lost speed at each split, covering the second 1000m in 53.230, the third in 53.351 and the fourth in 54.539.
In the bronze medal race, New Zealand lost one of their four riders to a loud crash that also saw one of its riders drop off the pace, and the Australian team managed to catch that lone rider to bring an early end to one of the rare races in which the "pursuit" part of the event's name came into play.
British cyclist Jason Kenny, pursuing his ninth Olympic medal, advanced to the third round of the sprint with close wins of 0.032 seconds over Malaysia's Mohd Azizulhasni Awang. and 0.021 seconds over Japan's Wakimoto Yuta.
U.S. rider Maddie Godby advanced to the 18-rider quarterfinals of the women's keirin, finishing second in her heat to avoid going through the repechage.