Italy claimed silver in both the men’s and women’s team pursuit on the second day of the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai. Denmark secured a fourth consecutive men’s team pursuit world title, while Great Britain won the women’s event. Harrie Lavreysen added another world title to his remarkable collection in the men’s keirin, Lotte Kopecky won the women’s elimination race, and Matthew Bostock took gold in the men’s scratch race.
The second day of racing in Shanghai delivered two closely watched team pursuit finals, with Denmark and Great Britain emerging as world champions. There was also plenty of action in the individual events, as established champions and emerging riders battled for medals across the programme.
Women’s Team Pursuit: Great Britain Take Gold, Italy Set a National Record
Great Britain won the women’s team pursuit in 4:04.610, beating Italy, who finished in 4:09.967. Germany took bronze ahead of the Netherlands.
The British squad consisted of Erin Boothman, Anna Morris, Millie Couzens, Josie Knight and Megan Barker, with four riders competing in the gold medal final.
Italy reached the final after setting a new national record of 4:06.771 in the first round, where the quartet beat Germany. Five riders contributed to the Italian campaign: Elisa Balsamo, Martina Alzini, Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza and Vittoria Guazzini. Alzini competed in the earlier rounds, while Consonni rode in the final. All five receive the silver medal.
The final began strongly for Italy. At the first kilometre, the Italian quartet clocked 1:06.612, almost a second faster than Great Britain. The British riders gradually closed the gap, moving ahead around the halfway point with a 187-millisecond advantage before extending their lead over the second half of the race.
Italy held on for silver, while Germany secured bronze by just 249 milliseconds over the Netherlands.
For Great Britain, the victory capped a strong performance across the rounds. For Italy, the silver medal and national record provided two important milestones in the team’s campaign.
Men’s Team Pursuit: Denmark Win a Fourth Consecutive World Title
Denmark continued its dominance of the men’s team pursuit, winning a fourth consecutive world title with a time of 3:40.865. Italy took silver in 3:45.596, while Great Britain claimed bronze ahead of France.
The Italian quartet consisted of Filippo Ganna, Francesco Lamon, Alessio Magagnotti and Jonathan Milan.
Denmark’s performance came close to the world record of 3:39.977, set by the same nation in Konya in February 2026. The Danes established an advantage early in the final and continued to build on it through the second half of the four-kilometre race.
Italy could not close the gap, but secured second place ahead of Great Britain.
The result further confirmed Denmark’s status as the benchmark in the discipline, with its combination of pace, consistency and depth continuing to deliver major results on the world stage.
Women’s Elimination: Lotte Kopecky Takes the Title
Lotte Kopecky won the women’s elimination race ahead of Japan’s Yumi Kajihara and American rider Megan Jastrab. Italy’s Rachele Barbieri finished 14th.
Kopecky rode a controlled race, staying close to the front without wasting unnecessary energy. As the field gradually narrowed, the Belgian remained well positioned and waited for the right moment to make her move.
The race was interrupted by several crashes. With five riders remaining, Kajihara went down after touching the wheel of the rider in front of her. The Japanese rider managed to get back up and continue, eventually reaching the final stages of the race.
Kopecky proved too strong in the decisive sprint. When she accelerated, Kajihara was unable to respond and had to settle for silver, while Jastrab completed the podium.
Barbieri faced a more difficult race. She was repeatedly boxed in towards the lower part of the bunch and had to brake or move around other riders to find space. Those efforts may have cost valuable energy and made it harder for her to maintain a favourable position as the eliminations intensified.
Men’s Keirin: Lavreysen Claims His 22nd World Title
Harrie Lavreysen added another world title to his collection, winning the men’s keirin ahead of Germany’s Maximilian Dörnbach and Japan’s Shinji Nakano. Kaiya Ota finished fourth.
Ota moved to the front and made it difficult for Lavreysen to find a way past. The Dutch rider had to spend almost three laps on the outside before he could finally move ahead and launch his decisive sprint.
Dörnbach stayed close to Lavreysen’s wheel from the early stages and secured silver, while Nakano took bronze. Ota narrowly missed out on the podium.
Italy’s Mattia Predomo finished 31st and did not qualify for the quarter-finals.
Men’s Scratch Race: Bostock Wins Solo
Great Britain’s Matthew Bostock won the men’s scratch race over 10 kilometres, ahead of New Zealand’s Tom Sexton and Belgium’s Lindsay De Vylder. Italy’s Davide Stella finished 18th.
The race came alive in the second half, when Switzerland’s Alex Vogel launched a solo attack. Bostock responded with a counterattack, caught Vogel and then rode past him to establish a substantial lead.
With around nine laps remaining, Bostock was clear on his own. By seven laps to go, he had built a lead approaching half a lap, while the other attempts to chase him down failed to make significant progress.
De Vylder attacked from the group with three laps remaining, but Bostock maintained his advantage and crossed the finish line alone.
Sexton secured silver and De Vylder took bronze. A crash involving riders in the bunch occurred on the final lap, but Bostock’s victory was never seriously threatened.
Stella remained in the main group but did not manage to challenge for the leading positions, finishing 18th.
Women’s Sprint: Semi-Final Line-Up Confirmed
The women’s sprint tournament continued with the quarter-finals, which determined the four riders advancing to the semi-finals.
Yuan Liying, Sophie Capewell, Emma Finucane and Mina Sato progressed to the next round.
Japan’s Sato was responsible for one of the surprises of the tournament, eliminating Germany’s Lea Sophie Friedrich in two rides after previously beating Pauline Sophie Grabosch.
Capewell also faced a difficult match against China’s Jiang Yulu but managed to secure her place in the semi-finals with a strong tactical performance in the second ride.
Italy will not be represented in the semi-finals. Miriam Vece, who qualified 27th in 10.940 seconds, was eliminated in the round of 32 by the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw.
Day 2: The Bigger Picture
The second day in Shanghai highlighted the strength of the established powers in track cycling. Denmark continued its remarkable run in the men’s team pursuit, Great Britain took the women’s title, and Lavreysen and Kopecky once again demonstrated why they remain among the sport’s most successful riders.
Bostock’s solo scratch race victory added another dimension to the day, rewarding a well-timed attack and the ability to commit to a move when the rest of the field could not respond.
The championships continue on Friday with the men’s one-kilometre time trial, women’s omnium, men’s individual pursuit, men’s points race and the decisive rounds of the women’s sprint.
What to Watch on Friday, 16 October
The third day features a varied programme, with three world titles to be decided: the men’s one-kilometre time trial, the men’s individual pursuit and the women’s sprint. The women’s omnium will also reach its conclusion after four events.
Key events and riders to watch
- Men’s one-kilometre time trial: Matteo Bianchi and Fabio Del Medico represent Italy in qualifying at 06:00, with the final scheduled for 12:37.
- Women’s omnium: Elisa Balsamo will compete in all four events: Scratch at 06:38, Tempo Race at 08:47, Elimination at 12:07 and Points Race at 13:40.
- Men’s individual pursuit: Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan are entered for qualifying at 07:00, with the finals scheduled for 13:15.
- Men’s points race: Niccolò Galli will line up at 11:05 in a race where timing, positioning and lap gains can prove decisive.
- Women’s sprint: The semi-finals begin at 11:57, followed by the finals from 13:30. Italy’s Miriam Vece will feature in the decisive rounds if she qualifies.
Full schedule
All times are Italian local time.
- 06:00 – Men’s one-kilometre time trial, qualifying
- 06:38 – Women’s omnium, Scratch Race
- 07:00 – Men’s individual pursuit, qualifying
- 08:47 – Women’s omnium, Tempo Race
- 11:05 – Men’s points race
- 11:57 – Women’s sprint, semi-final – race 1
- 12:07 – Women’s omnium, Elimination Race
- 12:27 – Women’s sprint, semi-final – race 2
- 12:37 – Men’s one-kilometre time trial, final
- 13:01 – Women’s sprint, possible semi-final decider
- 13:15 – Men’s individual pursuit, finals
- 13:30 – Women’s sprint, final – race 1
- 13:40 – Women’s omnium, Points Race
- 14:12 – Women’s sprint, final – race 2
- 14:40 – Women’s sprint, possible final decider
The omnium and individual pursuit will be among the main endurance events to follow, while the one-kilometre time trial will offer a direct test of raw power and speed. The women’s sprint should provide a contrasting spectacle, with tactical positioning and explosive acceleration likely to decide the medals.
With several disciplines reaching their decisive stages, Friday promises another full day of racing at the Shanghai Track Cycling World Championships.
