D'Almeida strikes double gold at Columbia World Cup

FRANCE'S Michael D'Almeida claimed double gold on day one of the third UCI Track World Cup in Cali, Columbia.

Great Britain did not send a team to South America after amassing 199 points from the opening two rounds in Manchester and Melbourne, while Australia also sat out with 210 points.

D'Almeida clocked 1:01.171 to take kilo gold, ahead of 2008 World Championship bronze medallist and compatriot Francois Pervis, riding for trade team Cofidis - and Ukraine's Yevhen Bolibrukh.

And the Frenchman completed his double with victory in the keirin while Teun Mulder - another Cofidis rider - and Ukraine's Andrii Vynokurov completed the podium.

Vynokurov's team mate, Vitaliy Popkov, won the individual pursuit on the same day it was scrapped from the Olympic programme with Columbia's Juan Esteban Arango Carvajal second and Lithuania's Gediminas Bagdon was third.

Greece's Ioannis Tamouridis amassed 23 points to win the points race ahead of Belgium's Iljo Keisse and Germany's Marcel Barth.

Meanwhile, Lithuania's Simona Krupeckaite upgraded her Manchester women's sprint bronze to gold with victory over Holland's Willy Kanis.  Cuba's Lisandra Rodriguez Guerra beat home hope Diana Maria Orrego Garcia for bronze.

Finally, Belarusian Tatsiana Sharakova, upset the odds to win the women's points race ahead of Italy's Giorgia Bronzini - gold medallist in Melbourne - and Cuba's Yumari Valdivieso Gonzalez.