Women's team pursuit gold caps Britain's excellent evening in the velodrome

— -- Great Britain's women defended their team pursuit title in a new world record time on another dominant night for Team GB in the Rio velodrome.

The quartet of Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell-Shand, Elinor Barker, and Katie Archibald stopped the clock at 4 minutes and 10.236 seconds, the third time they have broken the world record this week.

World champions the United States were a distant second, while Canada claimed bronze after defeating New Zealand.

Moments after the team pursuiters claimed gold, Britain's cyclists were celebrating another medal as Becky James came through the field to earn silver in the women's Keirin.

The 24-year-old from Abergavenny left it late, running last in the final lap before powering through the field to pip Australia's Anna Meares on the line and finish second behind Holland's Elis Ligtlee.

The team pursuit gold was Britain's third at the Olympic velodrome of the Games so far, while James' silver meant it was four medals from four events entered by Team GB in the track schedule.

"It was unbelievable," said Trott, who made history as the first British woman to win three Olympic golds. "I knew it was going to take a world record to win here and to do it three times is fantastic. It was just insane.

"A 4min 10sec is what [our coach] Paul Manning had targeted for us, so to come here and do it was just unbelievable. It just came together."

Victory means Britain have claimed back-to-back team pursuit golds after triumphing in London, but Rowsell Shand admitted the quartet expected the result to be closer in Rio.

"I'm incredibly proud of the whole team," she said. "I'm quite surprised at the time -- I knew that kind of time was possible and I knew that time was in us.

"In the first two rides America were close to us, they were only a second behind us in qualifying and then a tenth in the next round, so we knew it would be a close battle. We knew it would come down to the last laps.

"My turn was finished with three laps to go and I could see the Americans and I could see our team and I knew we could finish it off."

Britain are now reigning Olympic champions in both men's and women's team pursuits, while the men's team sprint claimed gold on Thursday.

The team is guaranteed another gold and a silver on Sunday when Jason Kenny meets countryman Callum Skinner in the individual sprint final.

Press Association Sport contributed to this report.