The race was going perfectly to plan for the current World Cup champion when a crash high up the banking, up against the barriers on the back straight, brought her down.

The 20-year-old scrambled down the bank, recovered her bike and got back in the race.

 

The rules state you can have a lap out for a crash, as long as it does not occur inside the final five laps.

But Armitstead, who won gold with the team pursuit squad yesterday, admitted the crash changed her strategy in the final laps as Cuba's Yumari Gonzalez Vadivieso claimed gold.

 

She said: "I perhaps wasn't as aggressive as I'd like to have been.

 

"Had I not crashed I would probably have gone earlier and been more aggressive, but take nothing away from her, she deserved to win it."

 

Armitstead admitted that at first she thought she had avoided being caught up in the spectacular crash which left her with cuts and bruises.

She said: "I got pinned up against the fence and had nowhere to go. I thought I'd missed it.

"I knew the rules and my priority was to get back in the race as soon as possible.

 

"I panicked a little bit and I'm a bit disappointed with how I handled it."

 

There was also disappointment for Britain as the men's team pursuit medal missed out on a medal for the first time in 10 years, finishing fourth.

 

Ed Clancy, Steven Burke, Peter Kennaugh and Jonny Bellis were beaten by New Zealand in the bronze-medal race.