Olympic champions Sophie Capewell, Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant stormed to gold for Great Britain in the women’s team sprint at the Cycling World Championships.

The trio defeated the Netherlands with a time of 45.949 in Ballerup, Denmark.

The trio clinched the gold medal in this summer’s Paris Olympics – Britain’s first women’s team sprint side to do so – and are now the first British women’s squad to become sprint world champions since 2008.

Marchant said: “Today was a tough day on the bike and perhaps a little bit harder than winning an Olympic gold medal for different reasons but I’m really glad we showed up today. We’re absolutely over the moon.”

Capewell added: “It’s the kind of thing that as kids growing up in sport, they’re the two big things to aim for… the reality is very much a dream come true. It feels like the icing on the cake and the cake was pretty damn good in the summer so that’s topped it off quite nicely.”

The men’s team sprint squad of Harry Ledingham-Horn, Hayden Norris and Joe Truman finished fourth.