GWENT cycling stars just missed out on the medals at the Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Los Angeles.

Team USN rider Lewis Oliva, from Devauden in Monmouthshire, came agonisingly close to the podium as he finished fourth in the keirin on Sunday.

Oliva eased through the first round, winning his heat to secure his place in the second round.

And the national champion finished second in round two, securing his place in the final.

The final displayed keirin racing at its best but, despite a gutsy performance, Oliva had to settle for fourth with Colombia’s Puerta Zapata taking gold.

Newport’s Jon Mould was returning to the track from a road block in Australia with JLT Condor and was part of a seven-rider group to take a lap in the men’s scratch race on Saturday.

But he missed out on the medal positions in the final sprint, settling for a strong fifth overall as Belarus’ Yauheni Karaliok won gold.

Abergavenny’s Rachel James made her UCI Track World Cup debut with Team USN in LA.

She finished fifth in her keirin first round heat, with Germany’s Kristina Vogel taking the win.

That result pushed James into the repechages, where she kept her chances in the competition alive by finishing second behind Colombia’s Martha Bayona Pineda.

In the second round, James finished fourth as Vogel once again picked up a win, on her way to gold in the keirin final, with James taking 10th place in the minor final.

On Sunday, James qualified 13th in the women’s sprint, stopping the clock at 11.328, but missed on a quarter-final place. Vogel again took gold.

The final event of the weekend, the men’s Madison, saw Team USN’s Mould and Sam Harrison of Risca take to the boards together.

They took five sprint points early on in the 120km race but eventually finished ninth.

Cardiff’s Elinor Barker won bronze in the women’s scratch race, Great Britain’s only medal of the weekend.