A rare defeat for Harrie Lavreysen. The top sprinter from Luyksgestel failed to win the individual sprint tournament of the European Track Cycling Championships in Konya, Turkey.
The multiple world champion and Olympic champion had to bow his head to Matthew Richardson in the final.
The last time that 28-year-old Lavreysen took part in a European Championship, World Cup or Olympic Games and did not win the sprint tournament was in 2019. Then Jeffrey Hoogland trumped him in the European Championship final.
Lord and master
Since then, Lavreysen has been lord and master of the individual sprint tournament. He won all seven World Championships and won two Olympic gold medals, in Tokyo and Paris. In recent years, however, Richardson has come closer and closer, he already defeated Lavreysen in a Champions League final in 2024 and is now the best at a title tournament for the first time.
The Netherlands has still not won a gold medal at this European Championship, writes the NOS. So far, the Dutch team has won two silver and three bronze medals. Thursday is the last day of the European Championships.
Not in great shape
Lavreysen was annoyed, but not in top form, and went to Turkey. Richardson took the world record for the 200 meters on this track last year and has since been officially the fastest man in the world. In qualifying for this tournament, Richardson was also faster than Lavreysen. The Briton, who is making his debut at a European Championship after previously playing for Australia, drove more than 80 kilometers per hour.
The first sprint of the dream final went to Lavreysen, but in the second sprint he could not pass Richardson. In the all-decisive third sprint, Richardson managed to overtake Lavreysen.
Not fit Van de Wouw
For a long time it seemed that Hetty van de Wouw would also compete for the medals today, but the 27-year-old Kaatsheuvels was not fully fit and as a precaution he did not start in the final of the kilometer time trial. She is world champion in that event. The keirin is on her program on the final day on Thursday.
For the time being, the Netherlands has five medals. In addition to the silver of Lavreysen and Dorenbos and the bronze of Van Rooijen, Vincent Hoppezak (in the scratch section) and the team sprinters reached the podium. They also took the bronze. As world champions and outgoing European champions, the team sprinters aimed for gold, but did not reach the final.
