SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France - Sprint great Anna Meares became the most successful female track cyclist in history with 11 world titles after claiming the gold medal in keirin at the track cycling world championships on Sunday.
The 31-year-old double Olympic champion added a 26th medal to her impressive collection on the final day of competition at the Velodrome National as she beat Frenchwoman Felicia Ballanger's record of 10 world golds.
Ballanger won her titles from 1994-99.
Meares, who also won bronze in the team's sprint this week with Kaarle McCulloch and silver in the 500-meter time trial, took control of the race with one lap to go and resisted her rivals to win by just 0.064 seconds ahead of Dutch rider Shanne Braspennincx.
Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez of Cuba claimed bronze, 0.219 back.
Meares' gold medal capped a successful day for Australia after Annette Edmondson claimed a second gold medal with a victory in the omnium.
Edmondson won with a total of 192 points, finishing ahead of Olympic champion Laura Trott of Great Britain.
Trott ended 16 points behind Edmondson and edged Dutch sprinter Kirsten Wild, the scratch race world champion, by just one point.
The 23-year-old Edmondson, who was second at the halfway mark of the competition, sealed her victory in the 25-kilometer points race after winning the 500-meter time trial and the flying lap.
Edmonson's triumph in the multidiscipline event for the most versatile riders came three days after she helped Australia win gold in the team pursuit.
