European track and field championships, two more golds for Italy
Europeans on track, two more golds for Italy
Two more gold medals arrived on the second day of competition at the Heusden-Zolder velodrome, the stage of the European Track Championships 2025. It was Matteo Bianchi who was first on the highest step of the podium in the KM, granting an encore after the gold he won last year in Apeldoorn. Already the fastest in qualifying, the Bolzano native triumphed with a time of 59.965, leaving behind German Maximilian Dornbach by four tenths and Czech David Peterka by more than a second. Also noteworthy is the seventh place for Stefano Minuta: Italy, until recently absent in this discipline, places two athletes in the top eight and wins its second consecutive European title.
The words of Matteo Bianchi: "I was in good condition. Already; in the first round of the Team Sprint yesterday I had positive feelings, and today è went even better at the start. I tried to have the’right approach, I gave everything and that paid off. I am very happy".
TEAM CHASE – Italy also won the gold medal with the Rocket Girls in the women’s team pursuit. The blue quartet, composed of Martina Alzini, Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza and Vittoria Guazzini, beat Germany in the final for the continental title.
After a balanced start, the Azzurri took the lead of the race in the first kilometer thanks to a’action by Consonni. At mid-trial the lead è of two tenths, with Fidanza leading the Italian train. In the final laps, despite fatigue, Italy maintained the pace and finished in 4:14.213, inflicting a seven-tenths gap on Germany.
Vittoria Guazzini: "We raced with great intelligence, we have experience in running together In the past few days we could not run together, yesterday we found each other in qualifying and did well, so we believed until the last meter. Everyone did their part, every pedal stroke è was the one that led us to victory".
In the men's race, Italy finished in fourth place. Davide Boscaro, Manlio Moro, Francesco Lamon and Etienne Grimod (who replaced Matteo Galli) were beaten by Switzerland in the final for bronze. The Swiss immediately took the lead and built up an eight-tenths advantage by mid-race. Italy tried to react in the last kilometer, but it was not enough. Switzerland finished in 3:53.467 and took third place, leaving the Azzurri at the foot of the podium.
SPRINT – The morning session è opened with the qualifying of the Sprint. Matilde Cenci, a junior at her first experience among the Elite, stopped in the 16th round by 0.156’’ against the Ukrainian Alla Biletska (11.706’’). Miriam Vece, on the other hand, closed the qualifying round with an excellent 7° time in 10.736”, +0.249” from Bell, landing directly in the round of 16. In the challenge against Germany’s Schneider, Vece prevailed and reached the quarters, crossing the finish line first with a great sprint. In the quarterfinals, Vece makes another extraordinary comeback and, from the outside, overcomes Dutch Hetty van de Wouw with authority, earning a place in the semifinals. Tomorrow she will challenge Russia’s Burlakova for a place in the final.
POINTS RUN – The Points Run è was won by Portugal’s Iuri Leitao, who maintained the lead with 157 points, finishing in first place ahead of Yanne Dorenbos of the Netherlands, second with 114 points, and Jasper de Buyst of Belgium, third with 106. For Italy in the race was Juan David Sierra, who finished in ninth place with 38 points. At his first experience in the elite category, he achieved a top ten finish and won the last sprint. A result that confirms the ability to compete at a high level and lays a solid foundation for the future.
ELIMINATION – Closes with an’honorable sixth position Anita Baima, in her first experience among the big ones. Irish Lara Gillespie won the title, silver for Belgian Hesters and bronze for Dutch van Belle.
