COPENHAGEN (Kyodo) -- Just months after going emptyhanded in a disappointing Paris Olympic campaign, the Japanese track cycling team wrapped up its most successful world championships in Denmark with a haul of three gold and three bronze medals.

Kento Yamasaki and Mina Sato won the men's and women's keirin, respectively, with Kazushige Kuboki topping the podium in the non-Olympic men's scratch at the championships held through Sunday in Ballerup near Copenhagen.

Sato also took home the women's sprint bronze, while the men's sprint team and individual sprinter Kaiya Ota were Japan's other bronze medalists.

Having fallen short of predictions in her Olympic debut in Paris, Sato appeared to thrive without the weight of expectation at the Ballerup Super Arena.

The 25-year-old became the first Japanese woman to be crowned world champion in keirin, the cycling event originating in Japan, and the first to win a sprint medal of any color.

"It feels like everything has been worth it," she said.

Yamasaki, who missed Olympic selection, was rewarded with Japan's first men's keirin title in 37 years after making the world championships his single focus.

The 25-year-old Ota bounced back from his elimination in the Olympic men's sprint quarterfinals by winning Japan's first medal in the event in 35 years.

While the Los Angeles Games are four years away, the latest results have made Japanese riders more confident of making a similar impact on the Olympic stage.

"It shows Japan is improving," Ota said.