For about five minutes Saturday morning, the U.S. held the world record in women's team pursuit. Kelly Catlin of Arden Hills and teammates Sarah Hammer, Chloe Dygert and Jennifer Valente ripped around the Rio Olympic Velodrome in four minutes, 12.282 seconds, winning their first-round heat as track cycling competition continued at the Rio Games.
Great Britain--which had set the world record in the qualifying round--took it back in the final heat, finishing in 4:12.152. The two powerhouses will battle it out for the gold medal later Saturday. The two teams that lost in the first round--Australia, which was defeated by the U.S., and Canada, which fell to the Brits--will race for bronze.
Women's team pursuit made its Olympic debut in 2012, when Great Britain won gold on its home turf in London. The U.S. team won the world championship last March, the first for the Americans in that event. The British won the men's team pursuit Friday night in world-record time.
The U.S. has not won an Olympic gold medal in track cycling since 2000, and it never has won an Olympic championship in a women's track cycling event.
Rachel Blount •
