Gate began the 160-lap race aggressively chasing early points, in the race which offers points for sprints every 10 laps but also rewards those who lap the field with a 20-point bonus.
The New Zealander took points in the first four sprints before unleashing several raids to ultimately put four laps on the field, and from mid-race he was able to cover all the bases to record a remarkably dominant and impressive victory.
In his spree, he won four sprints in the second half of the race to win on 123 points, 16 clear Torres and 28 back to van den Bossche to show how dominant the Kiwi was.
Kiwi riders have done well in this event in recent years with Corbin Strong winning gold in 2020 and silver last year and Tom Scully won silver at Cali 10 years ago.
“The points race is pretty special and a race I love but haven’t raced it at the worlds for 11 years and it’s been 10 years since I managed to win one of these stripy jumpers,” said Gate.
“To come out tonight and put all the hard work to good use is a special feeling. The Points race was an after-thought. The main focus was the team pursuit and madison with Campbell and I think this was a nice bonus and an event I have wanted to race for a long time.
“It’s good to add my name to the other kiwis who have won it.”
Ellesse Andrews also added another medal to her personal haul in Scotland.
The newly-crowned keirin world champ claimed individual sprint bronze - beating Germany’s Emma Hinze 2-0 in their best-of-three ride off at the Glasgow velodrome.
Andrews defied her qualifying performance - where she only recorded the 10th fastest time - to claim her second medal at the event.
The New Zealand track team finished with eight medals, which is well ahead of their previous best of five medals won in Melbourne in 2012, Cali in 2014 and Hong Kong in 2017.
Ally Wollaston, 22, recovered from a fall in the elimination race to finish sixth in the women’s four-discipline omnium, her first time at this event at a world championship.
The Kiwi won the opening Scratch race and was third in the Tempo but settled for 11th in the one of her favourite events of the Elimination, after coming back into the race after the crash.
A bandaged Wollaston gained points early and at the halfway stage of the Points race was in the medal mix, but she could not match the push from the seasoned endurance riders who gained key bonus points. She finished a distinguished and promising sixth, 20 points off the podium.
Earlier Sam Dakin went out in the quarterfinals of the men’s keirin, edged by Malaysia’s former world champion and Olympic medallist, Azizulhasni Awang for the final spot in the semifinal.
Colombian Kevin Quintero Chavarro upset the favourites to claim the gold medal.
In other racing, Logan Currie was eighth in the under-23 men’s road time trial in Stirling, while Bailey Fredericksen was 23rd in the E-MTB cross-country race in Peebles.
With the completion of the track programme, attention for New Zealand riders turns to mountain bike and the road.
Tomorrow features the MTB cross country racing for junior males and females along with the world title for short-course with Sam Gaze defending his world title. The men’s field includes road race winner Mathieu van der Poel, former road world champion Peter Sagan and Tokyo gold medallist Tom Pidcock.
