Double medal for the Azzurri in just 2 hours at the Track Cycling World Championships: silver for men and women in the team pursuit

The second day of the World Track Cycling Championships, held in the Shanghai Velodrome on Chongming Island, gave Italy the first two medals of the world championship. In the men’s team pursuit, the Italian quartet formed by Filippo Ganna, Jonathan Milan, Francesco Lamon and the young newcomer Alessio Magagnotti won a precious silver medal. After passing the qualifications with the third time in 3’47″272 and clearly beating Great Britain in the first round with a time of 3’45″272, Italy found themselves facing the difficult Denmark for the gold.

The Scandinavian team made up of Carl-Frederik Bevort, Niklas Larsen, Frederik Rodenberg Madsen and Rasmus Lund Pedersen confirmed themselves as unbeatable, lapping the first kilometer in 1’01” and coming close to the world record. The Danes stopped the clock in 3’40″865, becoming world champions for the 4th consecutive edition. The Azzurri closed the test in 3’45″596, giving in in the second part of the race but securing very important points for the UCI ranking in view of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The bronze medal went to Great Britain who overtook France with a time of 3’47″245.

The silver Italians against Great Britain and the other placings

A mirror path characterized the women’s team pursuit, where just a couple of hours later the quintet composed of Elisa Balsamo, Vittoria Guazzini, Martina Fidanza, Martina Alzini and Chiara Consonni (who took over in the final) put the silver medal around their necks. The Italians, after the third time in qualifying (4’10″275), defeated Germany in the semi-final, stopping the clock at 4’06″771.

In the final, the defending champions made an initial push, gaining a 1 second lead in the first kilometre, before suffering a comeback from Great Britain. The British won the world title in 4’04″610, while Italy concluded their test in 4’09″967, paying for the efforts accumulated in the morning session. The bronze medal went to Germany, capable of overcoming the Netherlands by just two tenths (4’10″554 against 4’10″803).