Hoy sets new world best over 500m

By Jill Douglas BBC Sport, La Paz

Hoy is the world and Olympic champion for the kilometre

Chris Hoy is celebrating a new world record after smashing the "flying" 500m mark by more than a second in Bolivia.

The Olympic champion had earlier failed to beat Arnaud Tournant's kilometre record by just 0.005 seconds at the 333m Alto Orpavi velodrome in La Paz.

But the four-time world champion got back on his bike and set out to break Arnaud Duble's previous record of 25.850secs from a flying start.

Hoy completed the distance in 24.758 secs, obliterating Duble's 2001 mark.

Interview: Chris Hoy

It is the end of an era for Hoy, who will no longer ride the kilometre after it was withdrawn as an Olympic event.

After the disappointment of the kilometre, I wanted to go home with something Chris Hoy

After his world record ride, Hoy said he was relieved to have achieved something at the highest velodrome in the world.

"It was an amazing feeling, I just felt as though I was flying down the back straight. It was a dream ride, everything about it was perfect," he said.

"Part of the battle was trying to get the right weather conditions. It was 25-26C, the wind dropped for 10 minutes and the opportunity was there.

"After the disappointment of the kilometre, I wanted to go home with something and I'm happy for all the team that I've set this record.

"I don't plan to go for the kilo again. I gave it everything and it was so frustrating to miss it by that little margin, but that's sport and you have to accept it."

The 31-year-old had originally travelled to La Paz, which is located in the Andes at an altitude of 3,658m, with the intention of challenging the kilo mark.

His first attempt was 59.103s before he missed out agonisingly with a second attempt of 58.880s.

Hoy, who set the sea-level world record of one minute 00.711s when winning gold in Athens three years ago, was well ahead of Frenchman Tournant's times on the first two of three laps but lost pace on the third.

You can share Chris's Bolivian adventure in a BBC documentary to be shown on BBC Scotland on 3 June.