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Brits in the pink but Aussies in control

Hong Kong - Pink-haired Katie Archibald claimed Britain's first gold medal but Australia dominated the third day of the Track Cycling World Championships with a run of successes on Friday.

Cameron Meyer's storming victory in the men's points race, followed by Jordan Kerby's individual pursuit win, left Australia well clear of the rest at the top of the medals table.

Home favourite Sarah Lee raised the Hong Kong Velodrome roof with bronze in the women's sprint, where gold went to Germany's Olympic champion Kristina Vogel.

Britain dominated last year's Olympics but a new-look team had been unable to replicate the success until Archibald's thrilling victory in the women's omnium.

Archibald went into the points race, the climax of the four-event omnium, neck-and-neck with Australia's Amy Cure, and she wasn't assured of gold until the final sprint.

"I was very close to done for -- I thought I wasn't going to finish at one point," said an exhausted Archibald. "It came off in the end."

Behind the leaders, Canada's Stephanie Roorda went down heavily in a multi-bike pile-up and was led away in a neck brace and a makeshift sling.

Earlier, Meyer obliterated the field to win his fourth points race world title, a day after leading Australia to men's team pursuit gold.

Meyer, 29, was in front from nearly halfway in the gruelling, 160-lap race, finishing with 76 points, ahead of Belgian Kenny De Ketele and Poland's Wojciech Pszczolarski, who both had 40.

It was an eighth world title for the 2009, 2010 and 2012 points-race champion, who has returned to the track after a spell in road racing.

"I'm really happy to be back on the track and racing for rainbow jerseys, and this one's just as special as any of the other seven that I have," said Meyer.

"It's been a fantastic championship for us. We've started really well and hopefully there's more to come in the next few days."

Kerby won the men's individual pursuit despite the distraction of a misfiring starting pistol, which forced the race to be called off and restarted.

The 24-year-old Kerby clocked 4min 17.068sec to win by more than four seconds from defending champion Filippo Ganna of Italy, claiming his first world title.

As well as Australia's two gold medals on day three, they won silvers through Samantha Morton in the women's pursuit and Cure in the omnium, while Kendall O'Brien took individual pursuit bronze.

With two days to go, Australia have eight medals overall and lead the table with three golds ahead of a group of eight countries with one victory apiece.

Results from finals at the Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong on Friday:

Men's points race

1. Cameron Meyer (AUS), 2. Kenny De Ketele (BEL), 3. Wojciech Pszczolarski (POL)

Men's individual pursuit

Final for gold

1. Jordan Kerby 4:17.068

2. Filippo Ganna 4:21.299

Final for bronze

3. Kelland O'Brien 4:16.909

4. Corentin Ermenault 4:19.436

Women's omnium

1. Katie Archibald (GBR), 2. Kirsten Wild (NED), 3. Amy Cure (AUS)

Women's sprint

1. Kristina Vogel (GER) 2. Stephanie Morton (AUS) 3. Sarah Lee (HKG)

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