Cycling: Ulmer takes gold and another world record

2.55am

Sarah Ulmer won gold this morning in the women's Olympic 3000m pursuit cycling in Athens.

Hot favourite for the event, she raced Australian Katie Mactier in the gold medal race.

Ulmer's time was 3 minutes 24.537 – another new world record for the Aucklander.

As expected Mactier rode strongly for a slight advantage over the first kilometre, but Ulmer poured on the pace to be ahead by a second after 2km and to finish an incredible 3.113sec ahead.

In yesterday's qualifying rounds Ulmer set world record times of 3 minutes 26.400 seconds and 3 minutes 27.444 seconds for the endurance test.

Mactier briefly held the world and Olympic record before world champion Ulmer took it back.

Ulmer's medal is New Zealand's second at the Games after the gold won by the Evers-Swindell twins in the women's double scull rowing yesterday.

Leontien Ziljaard van Moorsel of the Netherlands won the bronze medal ride-off against Australia's Katherine Bates.

- HERALD STAFF, NZPA