Cycling World Championships: record and gold for Milan, Ganna bronze

Italy-Denmark 2-1. After the gold they missed out on yesterday in the team pursuit final, the Azzurri have made up for it with interests in the individual specialty. At the Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai they achieved a gold and a bronze, both against Danish opponents. Thanks to Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna. The two giants easily disposed of Frederik Madsen and Rasmus Pedersen, overwhelmed by the explosiveness of the Buja Bull and "Top Ganna", to whom they were only able to offer weak resistance.

A couple that promises disaster in the sprint finishes next year, when they will wear the same jersey on the road too, in the German Lidl Trek team which made Ganna's hire official a few days ago. Milan finished his race in 4'00"769, enough to dominate Madsen, but still superior to the stratospheric 3'58"850 with which in the morning he had shaved 303 thousandths off the world record that had already been his for two years. "To say that I am very happy is an understatement" commented the champion from Tolmezzo. The gold in the individual pursuit "was an objective of the season, to return to the track in this way. Not only in the individual pursuit, but also in the team pursuit, which for me was an excellent result in view of Los Angeles. Today was the last sprint of the year and therefore I tried to do my best, already in qualifying, even if I didn't think I would break the record".

Speaking of the double match against Denmark, he added: "I like the healthy competition between our national teams, they are combative guys". For the 'Buja Bull' it is the second world title in the specialty after the one in 2024 and the tenth world championship medal on the track. Milan's triumph also gave Italy the first gold medal of the expedition to China. Shortly before, in the 'final' for bronze, Ganna had returned to the world podium in the individual pursuit, three years after the last time, with a time of 4'02"275. His progression in the second part was extraordinary: this gave him his eighth world medal in the pursuit. "We did everything possible to honor this trip in the best possible way - his words -. Now everyone deserves holidays." Despite an excellent 4'00"976 in qualifying, the final didn't come: "I didn't have, like other opponents, the wake of those who came between me and Milan. It would have been nice to have had an all-Italian final. However, I can't complain." And in 2027 we will also be teammates on the road: "Jonny and I grew up together, we made many trips, many retreats and next year we will race with the same jersey. I hope we will continue to do well hand in hand".