Rio 2016: Team GB cyclists power to gold at the Olympics in men's team sprints

The trio set a new Olympic record with a time of 42.440 seconds

Britain's first gold in the cycling (Getty images)

Great Britain got off to a flying start at the velodrome after scooping gold in the men's team sprint at the Rio Olympics.

Jason Kenny, Phil Hindes and Callum Skinner pedalled their way to victory - adding to the country's haul of medals at the games.

The trio set a new Olympic record with a time of 42.440 seconds. New Zealand, the world champions, had to settle for silver, finishing just 0.102 seconds behind.

Britain's three-man, three-lap team sprint squad have a habit of peaking every four years and did so again as Kenny, 28, claimed his fourth Olympic gold.

The sprint trio have expressed their shock at winning gold in Rio after coming sixth at the most recent World Championships.

Philip Hindes told the BBC his second Olympic gold medal was "unbelievable".

He said: "We always believed in each other and we really stepped up as a team.

"I am so proud of these guys. I am just over the moon, so happy, to have just won the gold."

Only Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Chris Hoy have now won more gold medals for Great Britain than Jason Kenny, who has the chance to win two more in the next five days.

"It was really special today," Kenny told the BBC.

"We were kind of outsiders coming into it. It was just good that it all came together and to be on the right side of the small time gap."

Fellow Team GB Olympic cyclist and Kenny's fiancee Laura Trott led the congratulations to the team, tweeting that they were her "absolute heroes!!!".

PA reporting.