In the track events at the Paris Olympics, Australia defeated Great Britain in the men's team pursuit to win its first Olympic gold medal in 20 years.

Australia last won Olympic gold in the men's team pursuit in 2004, and since then had finished fourth in Beijing, second behind Great Britain in London and Rio, and third in Tokyo after a huge crash in the qualifying round.

Sam Welsford and Kelland O'Brien were both part of the Tokyo team. Welsford was also a member of the Rio team, along with Tokyo alternates Connor Leahy and newcomer Oliver Bredin. They set a new world record in Tuesday's qualifying round and won gold over their British rivals, although it was decided in the final 500m when Britain's Ethan Hayter slipped out of the saddle and nearly fell over.

Tim Decker is the track endurance coach for Australia, having been with the team since London, except for a two-year stint with the Chinese team, and returned to the Aussie team last year. He fought back tears as he tried to explain how much the gold medal meant to him.

"This is a huge moment for these kids. We have been through hell and back. For them to have this outcome is amazing. To be a small part of that journey, to be able to guide them and help them continue to believe that it's possible, is one of the things I'm proud of and one of the things I never wanted to give up on them.

Australia was a strong contender for the gold medal in Tokyo, but suffered a setback when Alex Porter's 3D-printed handlebar broke in the qualification round, finishing third. In Paris, he was behind defending champion Italy, silver medalist Denmark, and the ever-present British team.

"Everyone forgets about Tokyo, but we were a very strong team there. We won the bronze medal with probably the third strongest squad," said Dekker.

"The resilience that these guys showed in Tokyo, and the fact that they were able to move on from that and come back and do this again, is high-level history in track endurance."

Welsford said he was pleased that he came into the race as the underdog, and that it worked in his favor.

"We took a big hit in Tokyo. But I think it sparked us to really do the right thing and come together as a team and do all the things that you necessarily have to do to win," said Welsford. 'We just stuck our heads in the sand and got to work.'

"We kind of went under the radar and only came out here, the most important race. We all knew we had the power. I think we were all a little surprised yesterday when [3:40.730] showed up on the board, but then we backed ourselves up."

Leahy agreed, saying that Great Britain "came in thinking that they were probably the favorites to win, or definitely in the gold medal.

"We knew we had the power and we knew it would be the fight of our lives to beat them. And I think now we just have to soak in the moment and be happy that we won, not only in England, but in the whole world.

Welsford added: "I'm so happy for them. 'I'm really excited to be standing here with Tim, who is like a brother and family to me, and to win a gold medal not only for us but for him. He's been here for a long time and has been through the ups and downs that we've always gone through on the team.

"He has always been there for us. And it means a lot to us that he has invested so much in us after what happened in Tokyo. The bond I have with my teammate on these occasions will last forever. He fought with me at the 2016 Olympics, the first Olympics I ever competed in. We lost by seven points and being put at a disadvantage again in Tokyo probably hurt [Decker] more than it hurt us."

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