Dutch sprinter Harrie Lavreysen etched his name in the history books once again on Sunday when he became the first rider to win four gold medals at a single UCI Track World Championships.
The 28-year-old, having already won the team sprint, keirin and kilometre time trial, rounded out the competition by easing through the sprint competition, beating Great Britain’s Matthew Richardson 2-0 in the final. He marked the victory – his seventh in a row in the event – by waving four fingers to the crowds as he circled the track, one for each rainbow jersey he had earned.
"This is really not normal,” Lavreysen told NOS of his achievement. “I said beforehand that it would be exciting, with the kilometre time trial under my belt, but I felt really great again today.”
This August, Lavreysen’s opponent Richardson broke the world record for the 200m flying lap, showing form that threatened to topple the Dutchman’s dynasty.
"He's certainly the fastest over 200m, but sprinting is a different story,” Lavreysen said. “This one is quite enjoyable. I'm winning my fourth gold here, but the individual sprint is the most important event. It's wonderful when you step onto the track and know, ‘I can take on anyone, I can beat anyone.’ That's pure enjoyment."
Now a 20-time world champion, Lavreysen holds the most titles of any rider in history at the Track World Championships, an honour he claimed last year in Copenhagen. He’s also the Netherlands’ most successful summer Olympian, having won three gold medals at the Paris Games last year.
The joy of taking his latest clean sweep, he said, was “truly indescribable”.
“I kind of dreamed of going for four. It was actually a bit of a goal last year, but I honestly didn't expect it to be possible this year,” he said.
Thanks to Lavreysen’s success, as well as the three golds earned by Hetty van de Wouw and two by Lorena Wiebes, the Netherlands topped the medal table in Santiago, Chile after the five-day event. Great Britain finished second overall, with 14 medals, four of which gold.
Elsewhere on day five, Mexico’s Yareli Acevedo emerged the surprise winner after gaining three laps in the women's points race; Italy’s Elia Viviani hailed the “perfect ending” to his 16-year professional career as he won the elimination race; Mina Sato successfully defended her keirin honours for Japan; and in the final event of the championships, the Belgian pairing of Lyndsay de Vylder and Fabio van den Bossche won the men’s Madison ahead of Great Britain’s Mark Stewart and Josh Tarling.
