Victoria Pendleton puts heartache behind her as she eases through keirin at the Velodrome

Friday 3, August: Victoria Pendleton takes part in the keirin at the Olympic Velodrome. (GETTY IMAGES)

Victoria Pendleton recovered from her team sprint heartache to advance to the second round of the keirin at the first time of asking on the second day of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome.

The 31-year-old from the Bedfordshire town of Stotfold was, together with Jess Varnish, eliminated from the two-woman, two-lap team sprint for a takeover infringement on day one of the track programme, leaving the duo in tears.

Pendleton, who last won the keirin world title in 2007, showed a fine turn of pace in the second heat of the event, which begins behind a motorised Derny bike, to win from world champion Anna Meares of Australia.

Germany's Kristina Vogel, who won team sprint gold, and Ekaterina Gnidenko of Russia advanced from heat one and Guo Shuang of China and Simon Krupeckaite of Lithuania from heat three, with the remaining 12 riders falling into the repechage.

PA