‘Like turning up to school naked’: British Olympic cycling stars break world record before CRASHING INTO EACH OTHER on Tokyo track

Team GB cycling duo Katie Archibald and Neah Evans smashed the world record before almost wrecking their Olympic medal chances as they crashed into other in baffling scenes on the track in Tokyo.

Part of the four-woman pursuit team, Archibald and Evans helped defending champions Britain set the new record time of 4:06.748 as they blitzed the USA to book a spot in Tuesday’s final at the Olympic velodrome.

But after laying down the marker to their rivals, the exhausted Archibald and Evans were lucky to escape serious injury after Archibald crashed into the back of her teammate on the warm-down lap.

The Team GB cycling pair suffered the embarrassing scenes in Tokyo. © Reuters

Thankfully for the Brits, the pair got to their feet and were able to contest the final later in the day – where they finished behind an inspired German team who set a new world record mark of their own with 4:04.242.  

Archibald – an Olympic champion in the same event in Rio in 2016 – later made light of the incident.

“To be honest, it actually calmed me down a lot. I'm not too mortified – I think that's going to be the last thing I think of on my deathbed,” the 27-year-old told cycling icon Bradley Wiggins and Eurosport.

“It's like you turn up to school completely naked. You realize you're not dead, so you continue on. I hit the deck and thought, ‘this is the worst that could possibly happen.’ I couldn't have gone into a better person – Neah was so understanding.”

Scottish cyclist Evans – who had been brought into the team in place of Elinor Barker – also took the incident in her stride.

“There was a huge expectation, coming in with three defending champions. It's such a strong team and you think, ‘I don't want to be the one to let the side down.’

"It's been an amazing experience – probably not crashing, that wasn't so good,” she said light-heartedly.

The German quartet of Franziska Brausse, Lisa Brennauer, Lisa Klein and Mieke Kroeger proved utterly dominant in Tokyo, breaking the world record in the heats not long after the Brits had set their own record mark, and then finishing 6.365 ahead of their rivals in the gold medal race.  

Germany topped the podium in the women's team sprint. © Reuters