PARIS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Italy won the gold medal in the women's Madison race at the Olympic velodrome on Friday, with their duo of Victoria Guazzini and Chiarra Consonni claiming 37 points in the race ahead of the British duo of Neah Evans and Elinor Barker with 31.

The Netherlands took bronze with 28 points after Britain claimed the sprint finish in the last lap of the race to take 10 decisive points.

Italy won the gold medal mainly thanks to a 20-point bonus they were given for lapping the field with a powerful sprint earlier in the race.

The Madison is a complicated race to follow, as 15 two-person teams are involved in a series of intermediate sprints held every 10 laps (with 5, 3, 2 and 1 points awarded for the first four teams over the line).

The race is over a distance of 30 kilometers (120 circuits of the 250-meter track), with only one rider riding at pace at any time.

That sees riders launch their companions when they change over the designated rider, with one group riding at race speed, while the riders in the other look to rest their legs for decisive sprints or attempts to lap the field. Enditem

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