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Laura Weislo

'It was a really hard-fought battle' - Britain's Matt Richardson delivers rare defeat to Dutch sprinter Harrie Lavreysen to win European sprint title

Harrie Lavreysen Matthew Richardson Britain Gold Josie Knight Konya World
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com - 04/02/2026 - Cycling - 2026 UEC Track Elite European Championships - Konya Velodrome, Konya, Türkiye - Men’s Sprint - For Gold - Matthew Richardson (Great Britain) Wins the Men’s Sprint to become European Champion.

At the UEC European Track Championships in Konya, Turkey, Great Britain's Matthew Richardson defeated triple Olympic gold medalist Harrie Lavreysen in the men's individual sprint event - the first sprint defeat for the Dutchman since 2024.

Richardson last beat Lavreysen in 2022 at the much lower-stakes UCI Track Champions League, and showed he was on flying form in Tuesday's sprint qualifier, where he was the only rider to break nine seconds for the flying 200-metre test.

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