Dutch cyclist Harrie Lavreysen claimed his 15th world championship track title on Friday by winning the men’s one-kilometre time trial, setting a new record. Just two days after securing team sprint gold, the five-time Olympic champion triumphed over fellow Dutchman and three-time defending champion Jeffrey Hoogland. Britain’s Joseph Truman took bronze.
Lavreysen’s victory surpasses the previous record of 14 world titles held by France’s Arnaud Tournant between 1997 and 2008.
“Fifteen titles—I don’t even know what to say. There are so many prestigious names on this list, it’s completely crazy,” Lavreysen told media.
“It was tough because this was my first time competing in the kilometre at this level, but I pulled it off. It’s special,” he added.
At 27, Lavreysen could increase his tally in Sunday’s individual sprint event, where he is a five-time reigning champion. However, he missed out on a medal in Thursday’s keirin event.
French cyclist Sebastien Vigier, Lavreysen’s Olympic rival, praised him during the Paris Games where Lavreysen won three gold medals in the sprints (individual, team) and the keirin, earning him the nickname “Hat-trick Harrie.”
“He still has five or six years left at the top. He could come close to 30 world titles,” Vigier said, also commending Lavreysen for his humility and calling him “a good party animal after competition.”
Meanwhile, Italy’s Jonathan Milan won the men’s individual pursuit title in a world record time of 3:59.153, beating Britain’s Josh Charlton, who had earlier broken Filippo Ganna’s previous record during qualifying.