Great Britain Tops European Track Championships Medal Table
Ethan Hayter Clinches Men’s Omnium Title, Kopecky Secures Double Gold
On Saturday, Great Britain celebrated their 11th medal at the UEC European Track Championships in Apeldoorn, with Ethan Hayter clinching a thrilling victory in the men’s Omnium points race finale.
Hayter and Denmark’s Niklas Larsen finished with identical points, but Hayter triumphed in the tie-breaker to claim Great Britain’s fifth European championship. Belgium’s Fabio van den Bossche, initially leading in the Omnium, ended up in third place.
Lotte Kopecky of Belgium also had a remarkable evening, earning gold medals in both the women’s Points Race and Elimination race.
In the Points Race, Kopecky outperformed Norway’s Anita Stenberg and Jarmila Machacova of the Czech Republic, while Germany’s Lea Lin Teutenberg secured the silver in the Elimination Race. Britain’s Jessica Roberts took home the bronze.
Kopecky expressed initial concerns about the back-to-back races but was delighted with the outcome. “I had doubts about participating in both the points race and elimination race. But after discussing it with my coach, I decided to go for it. Winning two European titles in such a short time made it an extraordinary day,” she said.
Great Britain’s total medal count stands at five golds, five silvers, and one bronze.
The British squad’s success included Dan Bigham’s win in the individual pursuit and his contribution to the victorious men’s team pursuit team, alongside Hayter, Charlie Tanfield, Ollie Wood, and Ethan Vernon. Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant secured golds in the women’s individual sprint and the 500m time trial, respectively.
The British women’s team claimed silver in both the Team Sprint and Team Pursuit. Additionally, Neah Evans won silver in the women’s Omnium, William Tidball in the men’s Elimination Race, and Tanfield in the individual pursuit.
Germany followed Great Britain in the medal tally with two golds, two silvers, and three bronzes.
Great Britain’s performance at the European Track Championships is a promising sign for the upcoming Olympic Games, where they aim to maintain their impressive track record.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| 2 | Germany | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Belgium | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Italy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | France | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 7 | Denmark | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 8 | Norway | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Portugal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Poland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
