Olympics-Cycling-China break world record in women's team sprint

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Women's Team Sprint - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 2, 2021. Bao Shanju of China and Zhong Tianshi of China celebrate winning the race and the gold medal. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

China's women broke their own team sprint world record with a time of 31.804 seconds to beat Lithuania in the first round at the Olympics on Monday.

The Chinese pair of Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi bettered the 32.034 mark set by Zhong and Gong Jinjie at the 2015 world championships.

Gong and Zhong won the Olympic title in Rio five years ago -- the first and only gold for China in a cycling event.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Women's Team Sprint - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 2, 2021. Bao Shanju of China and Zhong Tianshi of China celebrate winning the race and the gold medal REUTERS/Matthew Childs

Up next for China are Germany's Lea Friedrich and Emma Hinze, who defeated Ukraine in the first round.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Cycling - Track - Women's Team Sprint - Gold Final - Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka, Japan - August 2, 2021. Bao Shanju of China and Zhong Tianshi of China celebrate winning the race and the gold medal REUTERS/Christian Hartmann