The 2025 UEC Track Juniors and Under-23 European Championships came to a close this Sunday at the Velódromo Nacional in Anadia, with six more titles awarded and a standout performance from Belgium, who claimed gold in both the Junior and U23 Men’s Madison events.
In the Junior Men’s Madison, the Belgian duo Witse Bertels and Thor Michielsen scored 32 points to secure victory, ahead of Julian Bortolami and Riccardo Colombo (Italy), who finished with 27 points, tied with Germany.
Later in the afternoon, Belgium struck again in the U23 Men’s Madison. Thibaut Bernard and Milan Van den Haute dominated the race, winning with 65 points. Germany took the silver with 58 points, and Great Britain earned the bronze with 33.
The day began with the Junior Women’s Madison, won by Great Britain’s Erin Boothman and Grace Abigail Miller, who accumulated 50 points. Italy took the silver (46 points), and France completed the podium with 13.
In the U23 Women’s Madison, Germany captured the gold thanks to a consistent effort by Messane Bräutigam and Fabienne Jährig, who scored 32 points. The Netherlands took silver (26 points), and Belgium secured bronze (19).
Keirin events also animated the final day. In the U23 Women’s race, Alina Lysenko clinched her second European title of the week, winning the final in 10.749 seconds. Rhian Edmunds and Margaret Moir (both from Great Britain) took silver and bronze respectively. In the men’s Keirin, Nikita Kiriltsev triumphed with a time of 10.745 seconds, followed by Nikita Kalachnik and Lowie Nulens (Belgium).
With the competition wrapped up, Great Britain topped the medal table with 10 golds and 23 medals in total, edging out Italy (10 golds, 22 medals) and Germany (6 golds, 18 medals). Over six days of racing, 44 European titles were awarded to athletes from 15 nations, in what proved to be a record-breaking and memorable edition in Anadia.
Photo: Rodrigo Rodrigues
