Track Worlds day two: Lavreysen wins keirin, Britain take team pursuit gold and Denmark make it four in a row

Harrie Lavreysen collected his second gold medal of the UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai on Thursday, 15 October, winning the men's keirin a day after leading the Netherlands to the team sprint title. Great Britain regained the women's team pursuit crown, Denmark won a fourth straight men's team pursuit title, Lotte Kopecky took the elimination race and Matthew Bostock won the men's scratch race. Shanghai shares Malaysia's time zone, so every session runs at the same clock time for fans at home. This follows on from the day-one report on the Dutch team sprint win and Lorena Wiebes' scratch title.

Lavreysen adds keirin gold

Lavreysen came from the back of the field in the final to win the keirin ahead of Germany's Maximilian Dornbach, who took silver, and Japan's Shinji Nakano in bronze. The Dutch sprinter is now two from two in Shanghai, with the individual sprint still to come later in the week.

Britain and Denmark rule the team pursuits

Britain's quartet of Erin Boothman, Anna Morris, Millie Couzens and Josie Knight beat reigning champions Italy in the women's final, clocking 4:04.610 to Italy's 4:09.967, a margin of more than five seconds. Germany took bronze in 4:10.554 ahead of the Netherlands. Britain's winning time was just under two seconds outside their own world record.

In the men's event, Denmark's Carl-Frederik Bevort, Lasse Leth, Frederik Madsen and Rasmus Pedersen recorded 3:40.865 to beat an Italian team featuring Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan, who finished in 3:45.596. It is Denmark's fourth consecutive world title in the discipline. A new-look British line-up of Noah Hobbs, Henry Hobbs, Ethan Vernon and Oliver Wood beat France for bronze.

Kopecky and Bostock win the bunch races

Belgium's Lotte Kopecky won the elimination race, a race interrupted twice, including once after a crash involving Japan's Yumi Kajihara. Kajihara recovered to take silver, with Megan Jastrab of the United States in bronze. Cyclingnews reported it was Kopecky's third world title in the elimination.

Bostock gave Britain a second gold of the day in the 40-lap scratch race. He attacked with 12 laps remaining, bridged to lone leader Alex Vogel and went on to win by half a lap. New Zealand's Tom Sexton beat Belgium's Lindsay De Vylder in the sprint for silver.

Azizulhasni out of keirin

There was disappointment for Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang, the newly crowned Asian Games and Commonwealth Games keirin champion. He finished second behind Japan's Kaiya Ota in his first-round heat to advance directly, but finished last in the third quarter-final heat, with only the top four from each heat moving on to the semi-finals. The seven-time world medallist's remaining medal chance is the individual sprint, which begins with qualifying on Saturday, 17 October.

Friday's evening session from 5pm includes the women's sprint semi-finals and finals, where Britain's Emma Finucane meets compatriot Sophie Capewell in the last four, plus the men's points race, time trial and individual pursuit finals. The championships end on Sunday, 18 October.

Key takeaways

• Harrie Lavreysen won the men's keirin, his second gold in Shanghai after the team sprint.
• Great Britain beat Italy by more than five seconds to win the women's team pursuit.
• Denmark won a fourth consecutive men's team pursuit world title, beating Italy in the final.
• Lotte Kopecky won the elimination race and Matthew Bostock the scratch race.
• Azizulhasni Awang was eliminated in the keirin quarter-finals and now turns to the sprint.

FAQ

Where are the 2026 UCI Track World Championships being held? At the Shanghai Velodrome in China, from 14 to 18 October. Shanghai is in the same time zone as Malaysia.

Who won the men's keirin in Shanghai? Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands, ahead of Germany's Maximilian Dornbach and Japan's Shinji Nakano.

What is next for Azizulhasni Awang? The men's individual sprint, which starts with qualifying on Saturday, 17 October.

Sources: Cyclingnews, IDL Pro Cycling, The Star, La Presse, AOL/PA