Katie Archibald wins GB's first gold medal of 2017 Track World Championships

Katie Archibald has won Great Britain’s first gold medal of the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong.

The 23-year-old Scot won a rainbow jersey in the team pursuit in 2014, as well as an Olympic gold medal in the same event in Rio last year.

However, today is the first time she has been on the top step of a world championship podium in an individual event.

Last year’s omnium world champion, Laura Kenny, is missing the current world championships in Hong Kong because she is expecting her first child with husband Jason Kenny.

Archibald went into the final leg of the six-event competition, the points race, on level points with Australia’s Amy Cure.

She had edged two points clear ahead of her rival prior to the final sprint, which she took to secure victory.

After winning the rainbow jersey, Archibald said: "I feel really privileged to pull it off

"It was an unbelievably grippy race, I really thought I'd lost it in the middle point but I pulled it out of the bag.”

In Rio last summer, she won Olympic gold in the team pursuit alongside Kenny, Joanna Rowsell Shand and Elinor Barker.

"It feels very strange,” she said. “I'm used to having my girls, my team-mates, around me it's odd to celebrate by yourself but I'm looking forward to catching up with them at the hotel."

It’s Great Britain’s third medal of the championships, and the first gold.

On Wednesday, Barker won silver in the women’s individual pursuit and yesterday, Chris Latham took bronze in the scratch race.

Besides Archibald’s win today, Great Britain’s men took bronze in the team pursuit, beating Italy in the run-off for third.

It's not as easy as it looks!

Katie Archibald on 'grinning' her way through the competition!#TWC2017 pic.twitter.com/Egsn6z29hq

— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) April 14, 2017