Sprint queen Anna Meares has reunited with Kaarle McCulloch to claim bronze in the women's team sprint at the track cycling world championships in Paris.
The three-time world champion pair hadn't ridden together since finishing third at the 2012 London Olympics but they combined to secure Australia's only medal on the opening night of competition at France's new national velodrome.
China set a new world record of 32.034 seconds while beating Russia into second place.
Meares and McCulloch beat rivals and reigning world and Olympic champions Kristina Vogel and Miriam Welte of Germany in the bronze medal race.
"If I'm honest I didn't really care who was across the track, I just wanted the bronze medal," Meares told AAP.
"For us this is the first time Kaarle and I have ridden since London and in a different position (with McCulloch first wheel). I'm so pleased with how we performed tonight."
Australia didn't participate in the team sprint in 2014 because McCulloch was injured.
The pair previously claimed world championship gold in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Meares said Wednesday's bronze gave her a confidence boost ahead of her pet event, the 500m time trial, on Thursday.
The 31-year-old is also expected to line up in the individual sprint and the keirin later in the week.
The Queensland-born rider needs just one more rainbow jersey to become the most successful female track cyclist in history with 11 titles.
But she's not thinking about that.
"Everyone's got their eye on it except me," she said.
"I'm just out there racing and trying to perform at my absolute best.
"I do my work ethic well, I do my processing well and the results always look after themselves - gold medal or not."
In the men's team sprint, Nathan Hart, Shane Perkins and Matthew Glaetzer could only manage sixth in the qualifying heats with a time of 43.379 seconds.
That meant the Australian trio missed out on the finals contested by the four quickest combinations.
France took the gold but only after New Zealand was told - mid-celebrations - that they'd been relegated for an illegal change. Germany claimed bronze.
Australian sprint coach Gary West says sixth was "probably where we thought we'd end up".
"We've still got some more challenges to face (with the men)," he told AAP.
"We're not entirely settled on our line-up and we've got more work to do clearly."
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