Olympic bronze for Rotorua's Bewley

Rotorua cyclist Sam Bewley and his New Zealand men's pursuit team have claimed bronze at the London Olympics after beating Russia in the third-placed ride-off.

Their performance caps off a day to remember for the New Zealand Olympic team with three medals coming on day seven.

Bewley, Marc Ryan, Jesse Sergent and Aaron Gate finished strong to beat the Russia team by more than two seconds.

Earlier they were defeated in their first round match-up against Australia, missing out on a chance to ride for gold.

Great Britain rode a world record time in the final to claim gold.

The New Zealand women's pursuit team qualified fifth and will need a strong ride in the second round to ride off for the medals.

- Herald Online