The Olympic Games track cycling events got off to an unforgettable start as Great Britain broke the world record three times on their way to claiming gold in the women's team sprint.

In total, the world record was beaten five times throughout the event, with Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Merchant continually upping their level in a dominant performance.

They started the record-breaking in their opening qualifier at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yveslines velodrome on Monday, taking 0.15 seconds off the previous record.

In an astonishing 10 minutes, it was soon taken away from them by Germany, with New Zealand then eclipsing it as they booked a place in the final race.

However, Team GB took it back once more in their heat against Canada, shaving it down to 45.338 seconds.

And they pulled off something special in the final, breaking the record for a third time as Finucane got them across the line in 45.186, earning Great Britain their first-ever women's team sprint medal, of any colour, at the Olympics. 

New Zealand finished 0.473 seconds behind them to claim silver, while Germany took the bronze medal.