'I'm here to stay' – Matthew Richardson stuns with keirin victory at European Track Championships

Great Britain’s Matthew Richardson doubled his tally of UEC European Track Championships titles on Thursday with a perfectly-timed victory in the keirin.

The 26-year-old came from deep in the final, and after the Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen attacked from the gun, surged his way through the group over the three laps to win with a dramatic bike throw.

The victory marked a second in as many days for Richardson, who was competing in his first European Championships after changing racing nationality from Australia in 2024. On Wednesday, he won the individual sprint against Lavreysen, ending the Olympic champion’s seven-year unbeaten streak in the event at major championships.

“To me, it was really important to win the keirin today and get the second jersey,” Richardson said. “Obviously to be able to wear it for the entire year, but also to back up my performance from yesterday [winning the sprint].

“To me, that was really important to show that I do have the legs and that I’m here to stay.”

Top of the table

Great Britain closed this year’s European Track Championships as the runaway medal table winners. The squad collected 13 medals over the five days in Konya, Turkey, including seven gold, four silver and two bronze.

British riders also claimed three world records; Emma Finucane set a new benchmark in the flying 200m, the team pursuit squad broke the world record twice on their way to victory, and Josie Knight became the first woman in history to go sub-4:20 in the individual pursuit.

Reflecting on the squad’s performance, Stephen Park, performance director for the Great Britain Cycling Team, commended an “incredibly dominant week”.

“As we look forward to LA 2028 [the Olympics], with that mix of existing riders and some more to drop back into the team, and up and coming riders looking to fill those ranks, the future looks bright to Los Angeles,” Park said.

Elsewhere on the final day of competition, Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) earned her third European title of the week, this time in the Madison alongside Shari Bossuyt. The British pairing of Anna Morris and Katie Archibald claimed silver.

There were also new Madison titles for Moritz Augenstein and Roger Kluge (Germany), the latter on his 40th birthday. Meanwhile, Alina Lysenko, a Russian athlete racing under a neutral flag, won the women’s keirin.