PARIS, Aug 9 (Bernama-dpa) -- Eight times-world champion Lea Sophie Friedrich of Germany made an impressive comeback in the Olympic velodrome on Friday after her disappointing exit in the keirin semi-finals, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
The 24-year-old set a world record 10.029 seconds over 200 metres on the flying lap of the sprint qualification. This put Friedrich at the top of the rankings, which will decide the further seedings in the sprint event.
Compatriot Emma Hinze, who also missed out on a medal in the keirin on Thursday in fifth place, had to settle for sixth place in the sprint opener in 10.198.
Behind Friedrich, the British Olympic team sprint champion Emma Finucane (10.067) and the New Zealander Ellesse Andrews (10.108) were in second and third place.
The old record was set by Canadian Kelsey Mitchell five years ago (10.154).
Friedrich was still struggling to comprehend her keirin exit on Thursday.
She said: "I couldn't keep a clear head. I raced like I've never raced before. Passively, not actively. I didn't know that about myself. Sometimes our nerves get the better of us. There's a lot of pressure."
-- Bernama-dpa
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