Japan was awarded a 2020 quota spot in the women's omnium when Yumi Kajihara claimed gold at the World Track Cycling Championships in Germany on Friday, virtually guaranteeing herself a spot on the Olympic team.

The 22-year-old University of Tsukuba senior, winner of the omnium Asian Games title in 2018, made history by becoming the first Japanese omnium rider to finish on the worlds podium.

The omnium is an endurance event comprising four mass-start races held on a single day -- scratch, tempo, elimination, and points races. The rider with the highest score at the end of the points race is the winner.

Kajihara finished with a total of 121 points, despite suffering a fall in the elimination race. She led from the start after winning the opening scratch race, which saw defending world champion Kirsten Wild relegated from second place for causing a five-rider crash.

"My mom's cheering kept me going when it got hard," said Kajihara, who beat Letizia Paternoster of Italy and Daria Pikulik of Poland to gold.

"I want to spend the remaining days training with confidence and make sure I win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics."