The 2024 edition of the Track European Championships for the Elite category came to a close in Apeldoorn (Netherlands) with the presentation of the Men's Keirin title.
A total of 260 athletes (152 men and 108 women) from 25 countries took part in the event, which attracted over 21,500 spectators. Over the five days of competition, the athletes competed in one of the last qualifying events for the Paris Olympic Games, which will be held from 5 to 11 August 2024 in Track cycling.
Leading the medal table was Great Britain with 6 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze medals, ahead of Germany in second place with 9 medals (3, 3 and 3) and the Netherlands who finished with 6 medals (3, 1 and 2).
In the women's race, the outstanding performance of the world Road champion, Belgium's Lotte Kopecky, who took the Points Race and Elimination titles in 19 minutes on Saturday evening, should be highlighted. Germany's Emma Hinze, Pauline Grabosch and Lea Sophie Friedrich confirmed their place in the Team Sprint a year after Grenchen 2023 (Friederich also won the title in the Keirin), while Great Britain's Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant won the Sprint and 500 metres respectively, Norway's Anita Stenberg the Omnium and Italy the Team Pursuit.
In the Men's Sprint, the stars of the races were the local stars, in particular Harrie Lavreysen who, after winning the Team Sprint with Jeffrey Hoogland, Roy van den Berg and Tijmen van Loon, went on to claim the Sprint and Keirin titles, while young Matteo Bianchi gave Italy an historic gold medal in the Kilometre. A double for Great Britain's Daniel Bigham and Ethan Hayter who, as well as winning the Individual Pursuit and the Omnium respectively, were part of the team that took gold in the Team Pursuit with Oliver Wood, Ethan Vernon and Charlie Tanfield.
The next edition of the Track European Championships for the Elite category will be held in Heusden-Zolder (Belgium) from 12 to 16 February 2025.
