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Germany betters team sprint world record in Cali

published 1 December 2011

Great Britain's mark could fall if ratified

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Stefan Nimke starts the anchor leg for the German team in the men's team sprint where they won the gold medal.(Image credit: Gerry McManus)

Germany took gold in the team sprint.(Image credit: Luis Barbosa)

The German national team may have set the new world record in the men's team sprint. The squad broke Great Britain's world mark in the qualifying round of the event at the UCI Track World Cup in Cali, Colombia.

Rene Enders, Maximilian Levy and world kilo champion Stefan Nimke clocked an average speed of 62.916kph in the three-lap race for a time of 42.914.

The mark is 36 thousandths of a second quicker than that set by the British team of Jamie Staff, Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

The UCI will not ratify the record until riders clear anti-doping and the timing and track distance are certified.

Germans occupied the top two positions in the men's event, with the Erdgas 2012 squad set to face off against the national team in the gold medal final, while Venezuela will face France in the bronze medal round.

German women were also the fastest in the team sprint. Miriam Welte and Kristina Vogel will meet Ukranians Olena Tsos and Shulika Lyubov for the gold medal, with Russia facing the Netherlands for bronze.