Mark Cavendish won his first Olympic Games medal with a fantastic performance in the omnium to take silver in Rio.

The Team GB rider ended his wait for an Olympic medal, taking 194 points to finish behind Italian Elia Viviani, who took 207 points.

Cavendish, 31, held off a late charge from Lasse Norman Hansen by just two points in a pulsating points race.

“I’m happy. I’ve got my Olympic medal. It’s really nice,” Cavendish said.

"I'm happy. Elia was the best guy there. If you take the points I lost in the elimination I would've been right with him.

"I have got my Olympic medal. It is really nice, but gold would've finished the collection. I did a pursuit yesterday and was unhappy I didn't break the Olympic record, that's just me.

"People are forgetting the team we have got behind us. It is incredible how they have worked. Without those guys I wouldn't be here."

Gallery

Cavendish had entered day two of the omnium in third place. An excellent sixth in the 1km time trial in a time of 1:02.868 lifted the Manxman to 126 points.

Third in the flying lap in 12.793 seconds lifted him to 162 points and the silver-medal position ahead of the points race, where he sealed a popular medal.

Trott starts omnium in style

Laura Trott made a superb start to the defence of her omnium title, leading the event after three disciplines as she aims for a fourth Olympic gold medal.

The 24-year-old sprinted to second place in the opening scratch race of the six-discipline event -ahead of rivals Jolien D’Hoore and Sarah Hammer. Belarus’ Tatsiana Sharakova won the race by gaining a lap on the field.

A remarkable individual pursuit ride, setting a personal best of 3:25.054, saw Trott beat five-time world champion Sarah Hammer to extend her lead with a total of 78 points.

The world champion then ended the day with a breath-taking ride in the elimination race to win her second event of the day.

Trott sits on 118 points, ahead of Julian D’Hoore on 110 points and Sarah Hammer on 108 points.

James and Marchant into sprint quarter-finals

Becky James and Katy Marchant booked places in the quarter-finals of the women’s sprint with victories in the 1/8 final.

Fastest qualifier James was too strong for France’s Virginie Cueff, sprinting around the outside of the Frenchwoman on the final straight.

Marchant was forced into a long sprint as Miriam Welte surprised the Team GB rider with an early burst of speed with three laps to go.

The German quickly built a gap but Marchant was able to reduce the deficit before powering past in the final 50m to avoid the repechages.

James will face Chinese world champion Zhong Tianshi in the best of three quarter-final, with Marchant to take on Lithuania’s Simona Krupeckaite.

Results

Men's omnium

Women's sprint

Women's omnium