In a thrilling display of skill and speed, Mateusz Rudyk secured the silver medal at the European Track Cycling Championships in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, in the sprint category. The defending champion, Harrie Lavreysen from the host nation, clinched the gold in the final, defeating the Polish cyclist 2-0.
This achievement marks Rudyk’s second medal in Apeldoorn during the championships. Earlier in the week, he had already secured a bronze in the team sprint event.
Hailing from Grudziądz and at 28 years old, Rudyk replicated his performance from the previous European Championships. On Friday, he paved his way to the podium by first eliminating Spain’s Alejandro Martinez and then overcoming France’s Sebastien Vigier. On Saturday, he experienced a sense of déjà vu, facing the same opponents as he did in the previous year in Swiss Grenchen. In the semifinals, he triumphed 2-0 against Russian-born Israeli representative Mikhail Yakovlev, but in the final, he couldn’t surpass the formidable Lavreysen. The powerful Dutch cyclist, an Olympic and world champion, outpaced him significantly in both gold medal races, with leads of 0.111s and 0.119s.
📣 Niesamowity start @mateusz_rudyk ‼️Po zaciętej walce zdobywa srebrny medal podczas torowych Mistrzostw Europy‼️🥈
— PZKol (@PZKolarski) January 13, 2024
💫Gratulujemy🇵🇱💪@SPORT_GOV_PL #pzkol #cycling #kolarstwotorowe #srebro pic.twitter.com/oDAVuTnb2t