Houvenaghel on a high after title

(left to right) Wendy Houvenaghel, Laura Trott and Danielle King
12 April 2012

Great Britain's Wendy Houvenaghel celebrated a third World team pursuit title in four years on Thursday before looking ahead to the London 2012 Olympic Games with optimism.

The 36-year-old combined with 20-year-old Dani King and 18-year-old Laura Trott to triumph ahead of the United States, with New Zealand third. It was Britain's first gold medal of the penultimate World Championships before London 2012 and they added a silver when Jessica Varnish and Victoria Pendleton finished second to Australia in the team sprint.

Houvenaghel said: "It's been a real pleasure to ride with these girls, especially in that rainbow jersey-winning ride. It's so encouraging. These girls have come a long way in a short space of time and over the next 16 months there's a lot of leeway to improve a lot more and I'm very excited about the prospect of us performing in London."

She added: "It's incredible to be on that top spot on the podium again and that's where we want to stay."

King, who joined the British programme on a full-time basis in November, said: "It's been a whirlwind for me, I've worked so hard for this.

"It's just amazing to have won the gold and to be a world champion."

Pendleton also expects her partnership with Varnish to improve before London.

She said: "It's a great step forward. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do next year."

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