Jason Kenny and Simon won gold for Great Britain in the keirin and points race respectively on day three of the UCI Track World Championship in Minsk, Belarus.

Sir Chris Hoy has dominated the keirin in recent years, winning World Championship gold last season before topping the podium at the Olympic Games, but Kenny ensured the title stayed in British hands.

It was not plain sailing for Kenny, however, and the 24-year-old had to rely on the repechage to get through the first round before securing a place in the final only after France’s Francois Pervis was relegated after cutting across Kenny’s line.

But once in the final Kenny rode an inch-perfect race, surging past Germany’s Maximilian Levy on the home straight to secure gold.

“It was unbelievable,” said Kenny. “I put my hopes on Levy, saying I would stick to him and try and pass at the finish, which is how it worked out. I looked back and saw us all strung out like it was Chris Hoy leading us out. I still had a little bit to get through the finish.

“I was suffering a crisis of confidence after coming sixth in the team sprint. But a bit of luck finally went my way and the final lap unfolded perfectly.”

Meanwhile, World Championship debutant Yates won the points race after winning a series of sprints on the closing laps.

“That was absolutely brilliant,” said the 20-year-old British Cycling Academy rider, who will team up with Owain Doull in the madison on Sunday. “I’ve had perfect preparation and the race worked out perfectly.

“I was trying to conserve energy at the start and then the race came to me and I started getting involved with the sprints and then I realised I was only one point behind with the final sprint coming up.”

Elsewhere, Dani King, who won women’s team pursuit gold with Laura Trott and Elinor Barker on Thursday, finished sixth in the 10km scratch race, while Jon Dibben is 11th at the halfway stage of the six-discipline omnium.