• Track World Championships

Pendleton takes world gold, Hoy to meet Kenny

Sir Chris Hoy meets Jason Kenny in the last four © Getty Images

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• Profile: Chris Hoy | Jason Kenny | Victoria Pendleton

Victoria Pendleton finished a painful day by winning gold in the women's sprint at the Track World Championships, while Sir Chris Hoy recovered from a sluggish start to set up a weekend semi-final with Jason Kenny in the men's competition.

Pendleton, facing arch rival Anna Meares in the semi-finals, suffered a huge early setback when she crashed in the first heat of their showdown. Track burns to the shoulder, elbow and hip left the Briton in a sorry state, but Pendleton showed her mental resolve to hit back.

Meares was penalised for straying from her racing line in the second heat to level the tie at 1-1, and then in the decider Pendleton edged past the home favourite into the final after a photo-finish.

There she beat Lithuania's Simona Krupeckaite 2-0, thanks in part to another relegation for her rival, while Meares took bronze.

"This is probably the most significant and probably the most emotional [win], being the last time I'm going to do this," said Pendleton, who regained the title she won in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

"It means a lot to me. It probably means as much as the first one (in Los Angeles), which was special, because I never thought I had the ability to be world champion.

"I'm delighted I won but it's nice to win by crossing the line first - relegations always make it a bit weird. It's a shame in some respect and it's not great for the crowd either, but they're the rules."

It was not an easy day for Hoy either, who had to come through a repechage round after a shock early defeat by France's Mickael Bourgain. The powerful Scot then needed all three heats to get past Germany's Robert Foerstemann in the quarter-finals, with a photo-finish needed to separate the duo.

He will now face compatriot Kenny in the semis, in a showdown that could go a long way to determining who represents Team GB in the Olympic Games. Only one man can be picked for the men's sprint, so the weekend's encounter will be fought fervently.

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