The team of Portugal composed of Iúri Leitão and Rui Oliveira, won the final sprint in the Madison male after a chaotic 200 lap racethereby keeping at bay Italia already the defending champion Denmark to win the gold medal in the track cycling of the Olympics.
It was chaotic mainly due to the incredible unsportsmanlike behavior of the Dutchman Jan Willem van Schipwho in one of the turns, with 39 laps remaining, went all out towards the bike Oliver Woodseemed to collide his helmet against that of the British, causing him to fall.
Wood got up as best he could and was treated by the medical team present at the race. His expression was one of indignation and bewilderment, while the rest of the competitors continued to circle the velodrome.
The authorities reviewed the videos of the collision and ended up deciding to disqualify the Dutch team, also made up of Yuri Hawkwho paid dearly for the irresponsibility of his compatriot.
The top step of the podium went to Portugal. Leitão added this gold medal to the silver he won two days before in the Omnium. After confirming his victory, he shook his fist, with a mixture of joy and disbelief, before a packed Vélodrome National, on the penultimate day of competition.
Leitão and Oliveira led the Italians and Danes by only two points entering the final sprint, but, with a great attack in the last section, they managed to cross the finish line in first place, with a total of 55 points.
The Italian team of Simone Consonni and Elia Viviani finished with 47 points to take the silver medal, while the Danish duo of Michael Morkov and Niklas Larsen finished with 41 points to complete the podium.
It was the second medal of the Paris Games for Consonni, who helped the Italians win bronze in the team pursuit.
The test gets its name from the place where it originated: the Madison Square Garden in New York. It’s an endurance race in which teams accumulate points for winning intermediate sprints, and can get a 20-unit bonus for winning laps over the rest of the group.
Each of the three teams that made it to the podium won a lap in the group.
Saturday’s track cycling program set the stage for Sunday’s finale, when American Jennifer Valente will attempt to defend her Omnium title. Medals in the women’s sprint and men’s keirin will also be decided.
With information from Agencies