Becky James (Great Britain) set a new Olympic Record of 10.721 for the women's track sprint in qualifying at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, beating the record held by her fellow Brit Victoria Pendleton from London 2012.
Not long after, Team GB's second rider, Katy Marchant, was just 0.066s off her teammate's new record. The British riders qualified in first and second.
James went off early in proceedings on Sunday evening due to her low number of UCI points, but this pre-event standing clearly wasn't indicative of form.
Fresh off the back of silver in the Keirin the night before, the British rider has laid down a marker as Britain look to continue their hugely successful Olympic track campaign.
The individual races against the clock will determine the head-to-head contests, with one more race on Sunday evening and the later rounds spread across Monday and Tuesday.
The women's sprint final comes last in the running order on Tuesday August 16.
A busy evening of racing on Sunday sees the first races in the men's omnium featuring Mark Cavendish, and the men's sprint final which pits British teammates Callum Skinner and Jason Kenny against each other for gold.
Of the 27 starters, only the top 18 qualified for the further rounds of the women's track sprint. As a result of qualifying first and second, the two Team GB riders shouldn't meet each other until the later rounds.
More from the Olympics
Becky James and Katy Marchant progress to 1/8 final of track sprint
Jason Kenny beats Callum Skinner to take Olympic sprint title
Elia Viviani wins omnium elimination race as mistake costs Mark Cavendish
Result
Women’s sprint qualifying, 200m flying lap: Qualifiers only
1. Becky James (GBR) 10.721 [Olympic record]
2. Katy Marchant (GBR) 10.787
3. Lee Wai Sze (HKG) 10.800
4. Elis Ligtlee (NED) 10.803
5. Zhong Tianshi (CHN) 10.820
6. Kristina Vogel (GER) 10.865
7. Natasha Hansen (NZL) 10.871
8. Stephanie Morton (AUS) 10.875
9. Anna Meares (AUS) 10.947
10. Simona Krupeckaite (LTU) 10.978
11. Anastasiia Voinova (RUS) 10.985
12. Kate O’Brien (CAN) 11.020
13. Laurine Van Riessen (NED) 11.023
14. Miriam Welte (GER) 11.038
15. Jinjie Gong (CHN) 11.068
16. Virginie Cueff (FRA) 11.099
17. Monique Sullivan (CAN) 11.143
18. Olga Ismayilova (AZE) 11.152
-
-
Council admits it acted unlawfully in removing cycle lane
West Sussex County Council unlawfully removed a Shoreham cycle lane in November 2020, just weeks after it had been built
-
From piste to peloton - Anna Henderson's rapid rise through the ranks
Jumbo Visma's British time trial champion Anna Henderson talks budget bikes, team dynamics and ski school
-
'I’ll make sure there’s a bike available if you think you’re good enough' - British Cycling boss responds to critics after Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Team GB was the best cycling nation in this year’s Games, matching the number of medals from London and Rio
-
Britain’s Matt Walls wins gold in Tokyo 2020 Olympic Omnium, Elia Viviani claims bronze
Walls takes the first gold for Team GB on the track
-
Tokyo 2020 Olympics track cycling LIVE: Day four updates from the Omnium, Keirin and sprint
Follow the medals sessions from the men's Omnium and the women's Keirin
-
Tokyo 2020 Olympics track cycling LIVE: Day three updates from sprint, Keirin and team pursuit final
All the action brought to you as it happens in the Izu Velodrome
-
Kit, temperatures, and practice - How records fell on the opening day of Tokyo 2020 Olympics track cycling
With team pursuit world records falling in the first session, we asked Aerocoach expert Xavier Disley why
-
Team sprint: Everything you need to know about the track discipline at the Tokyo 2020 Games
The event, which sees two teams go head-to-head, is always a thrilling spectacle during the Olympics
-
Lotus x Hope HB.T: Team GB's track bike in detail
British Cycling's UKSI bike is a thing of legend, so when Hope dropped the new British track bike on us at the end of 2019 we knew we had to go and take a closer look at the story behind it.
-
Team pursuit: Everything you need to know for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Get to know the team pursuit for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
