Pendleton and Kenny advance (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Pendleton and Kenny advance

6:55pm Sunday 5th August 2012 in National Sport © Press Association 2013

Defending Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton advanced to the quarter-finals of the women's cycling sprint competition at the Velodrome, while Jason Kenny moved into the semi-finals in the men's event on day four of action at the London 2012 velodrome.

The 31-year-old Pendleton is seeking a third Olympic gold and second in the sprint, which concludes on Tuesday's final day of track action, to become the most successful female British Olympian of all time.

After qualifying in an Olympic record of 10.724 seconds, six-time world champion Pendleton met Ekaterina Gnidenko in the first round and advanced with ease, overtaking the Russian on the back straight and easing to a comfortable win.

Holland's Willy Kanis provided the opposition in the second round and again Pendleton's success was comprehensive as she advanced to the best-of-three last eight.

Kanis was set to have a second opportunity to advance after falling into the repechage.

Friday's victory in the keirin saw Pendleton move level with athlete Kelly Holmes, swimmer Rebecca Adlington and sailors Shirley Robertson, Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb on two Olympic gold medals.

Meanwhile, Kenny claimed a convincing 2-0 quarter-final win over Malaysia's Awang Azizulhasni.

Moments later Kenny discovered his last-four opponent would be Trinidad's sole representative at the velodrome after Njisane Nicholas Phillip recorded a 2-0 quarter-final win over Denis Dmitriev of Russia.

Three-time world champion Gregory Bauge of France, who beat Kenny in April's final in Melbourne, advanced at the expense of Robert Forstemann of Germany, claiming a 2-0 win, to join the Briton in the last four. The Frenchman and Kenny were on a final collision course.

Bauge is set to meet Shane Perkins in the last four after the Australian beat Jimmy Watkins of the United States 2-0 in their last-eight contest.