Individual neutral athlete Alina Lysenko took victory in the last few metres of the women’s keirin final at Shanghai, adding the world title to the European jersey she took in Konya earlier this year.
The Russian had made an early exit from the individual sprint competition, and wasn’t entered for the kilo, giving her two clear days to prepare for Sunday’s busy schedule.
First Lea Friedrich, then Emma Finucane took charge of the final – and even exiting the final bend, it looked like it was between those two. But Lysenko had ridden a remarkably patient race, slotting into third behind Friedrich as Finucane injected pace with a lap and a half left.
Lysenko almost found herself boxed in the final lap, but Wang Lijuan was unable to keep the pace, and drifted backwards. As Friedrich made her move, Lysenko was forced up the track, giving Wang and Steffie van der Peet hope of a medal on the inside.
The Moscow-born rider was fifth as they entered the home straight, but she had all the momentum out of the final banking, and roared along the home straight’s blue line, to take it by 0.006 seconds from Friedrich, with Finucane third.
It was the GB rider’s third medal of the championships, having taken two silvers in team and individual sprint; Friedrich was part of the German team which took team sprint bronze.
UCI > Track World Championships > 2026
Final
| Details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Velodrome | Shanghai | ||
| Date | 18 Oct 2026 | ||
| UCI Track World Championships 2026 : Final | |||
| Result | |||
| Pos | Nat | Rider | |
| 1 | AIN | Alina Lysenko | |
| 2 | GER | Lea Friedrich | |
| 3 | GBR | Emma Finucane | |
| 4 | CHN | Wang Lijuan | |
| 5 | NED | Steffie van der Peet | |
| 6 | BEL | Zita Gheysens | |
In the minor final, Yuan Liying was first across the line, but was later relegated for failing to hold her line in the final sprint. The win went instead to Lauriane Genest, with Mina Sato second.
UCI > Track World Championships > 2026
Final Minor
| Details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Velodrome | Shanghai | ||
| Date | 18 Oct 2026 | ||
| UCI Track World Championships 2026 : Final Minor | |||
| Result | |||
| Pos | Nat | Rider | |
| 1 | CAN | Lauriane Genest | |
| 2 | JPN | Mina Sato | |
| 3 | JPN | Haruka Nakazawa | |
| 4 | CHN | Jiang Yulu | |
| 5 | NZL | Ellesse Andrews | |
| 6 | CHN | Yuan Liying | REL |
Stefany Cuadrado, Sophie Capewell and Miriam Vece had all failed to make it through the first round repechages. Hetty van de Wouw and Mathilde Gros exited at the quarter final stage, with the remaining Keirin World Series guest Ellesse Andrews missing out in the same semi which ended the hopes of reigning champion Sato and home favourite Yuan.
It means the championships finish on a sour note for a Chinese women’s squad which had already won team and individual sprint gold, and looked well placed to complete the sprint set with three riders reaching the keirin semi finals.
