Chinese riders win two golds on first day of UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Malaysia

Riders from China got off to a strong start at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Nilai, Malaysia, clinching two golds during the opening day of competition on Friday.

Chinese participants topped the podium in both the women's sprint and men's team pursuit, defeating the Netherlands and France in their respective finals, to underscore an impressive early showing.

In other action, neutral athlete Ilya Savekin claimed victory in the men's elimination race, finishing ahead of Spain's Alvaro Navas Marchal and Italy's Matteo Fiorin. Norway's Anita Stenberg took gold in the women's elimination, with Yareli Acevedo of Mexico and Ireland's Lara Gillespie completing the podium.

China narrowly missed out on further success in the women's team pursuit, which saw New Zealand deliver a dominant performance to take gold, while the Netherlands picked up bronze.

There was more disappointment for the Chinese squad in the team sprint, as Italy produced a strong comeback to snatch gold, leaving the PRC to settle for silver. The Netherlands added another bronze to its tally.

Despite those near-misses, China's double-gold haul ensured a positive start to the event, with many more races to come.