European Track Championships: GB dominate pursuit qualifying

Archibald and Barker helped Britain win pursuit gold at the World Championships

Great Britain's men and women have qualified fastest for Thursday's team pursuit semi-finals at the European Track Championships in Guadeloupe.

World champions Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Joanna Rowsell and Laura Trott finished 3.7 seconds quicker than Russia in four minutes, 40.289 seconds.

Ed Clancy, Jon Dibben, Owain Doull and Andy Tennant clocked 4:12.022, 1.9 seconds faster than Germany.

The event offers qualifying points for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

GB's women will race Germany for a place in the gold medal ride-off against Russia or Lithuania, while the men face Switzerland in their semi-final with Russia taking on Germany in the other.

Both teams produced times significantly slower then their best because the event is taking place on an outdoor concrete 333.3m track, rather than an Olympic-standard 250m indoor wooden oval.

The Caribbean island is hosting the Championships because Guadeloupe is a French colony.

Thursday's medal races, which also include the women's points race and men's scratch race, will take place from 23:00 BST.