Irish cyclist wins historic world track gold in Minsk

Martyn Irvine has won Ireland's first gold medal in 117 years Martyn Irvine gave Ireland a first ever world track championships gold medal on Thursday when he swooped to victory in the scratch event, just an hour after securing a silver in the pursuit. Irvine, 27, shrugged off his loss to Australia's Michael Hepburn in the individual pursuit to push himself through 60 gruelling laps at the Minsk Arena, attacking 10 laps from the end to edge out Austria's Andreas Muller.
On the second night of finals, Hong Kong's Sarah Lee Wai Sze won the women's 500m time trial while Britain captured the women's team pursuit.
In the men's team sprint, Germany regained the title they lost last year.
Lee Wai Sze won her gold in 33.973sec in the non-Olympic event by beating Germany's Miriam Welte, who was also second in the 2012 championships.
However, her winning time was still some way off the world record of 33.10sec set by Australia's Anna Meares, who won the world title in Melbourne last year.
Hepburn, 21, dominated the individual pursuit and won a second gold medal in two days having helped Australia claim the team pursuit on Wednesday.
With a time of 4min 16.733sec over the four kilometre distance, Hepburn was still more than six seconds off the world record held by compatriot Jack Bobridge.
Swiss teenager Stefan Kueng claimed bronze behind Irvine.
Great Britain retained their women's team pursuit title, seeing off old rivals Australia for the gold medal.
With Olympic gold medal winning Laura Trott and Dani King joined by Elinor Barker, the British were too strong for Australian trio, Annette Edmondson, Ashlee Ankudinoff and Melissa Hoskins in a time of 3min 18.140sec.
That was slightly better than their qualifying time of 3min 18.704 which they clocked earlier in the day.
Canada's Gillian Carleton, Jasmin Glaesser and Laura Brown saw off Poland for the bronze.
In the day's last final, Germany regained the men's sprint title they lost last year with Rene Enders, Stefan Botticher and Maximilian Levy beating New Zealand's Ethan Mitchell, Sam Webster and Edward Dawkins by just .049sec.
Source: AFP