After winning the team pursuit at the UCI World Cup in St Petersburg, the Irish women are continuing their very strong run at the international meeting, with at least one other medal already in the bag.
Kelly Murphy, the former elite TT champion who was part of the gold medal-winning team pursuit line-up on Thursday, was fastest in the individual pursuit qualifying today.
She broke her own national record for the event when she clocked a time of
3:29.510. That time was just inside her previous record of 3:29.699, which she set at the World Track Championships in Berlin last year.
Murphy goes forward in that head-to-head for gold-silver later today against Alena Ivanchenko of Russia, who was second fastest in qualifying and some 3.487 seconds off her Irish rival.
That time gap in qualifying means Murphy will go into the final later today as the favourite; guaranteed a silver but also in with a great chance of a second gold medal from this World Cup.
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Mia Griffin - who took bronze in the U23 pursuit at the Europeans last autumn - is also competing in the pursuit in St Petersburg and she was 3rd fastest in qualifying, some 6.410 seconds off Murphy's time.
That means Griffin - who was also part of the gold medal team pursuit line-up - now progresses to the bronze medal ride-off. She will go up against Mariia Miliaeva of Russia, who was over three seconds slower than Griffin in qualifying, which suggests the Irish woman is favourite to take the bronze later today.
Orla Walsh has also been in sprinting action in Russia; progressing to the quarter finals of the sprint competition but being knocked at that stage, 2-0, by Russian rider Anastasiia Voinova.
However, in qualifying for the 500m TT Walsh was 5th fastest and broke her own national record in the process, clocking a time of 35.103. The first eight, of the 10-rider field, in qualifying goes through to the next round, with Walsh due to compete again in the final later this afternoon.
Former national road champion Alice Sharpe - who was part of the team pursuit line-up that won gold on Thursday - has been in action in the elimination, placing 12th. JB Murphy was in action in the men's elimination race and placed 13th.
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