Italy has claimed two team pursuit silver medals at the Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai. The men finished behind Denmark, while the women lost to Great Britain, securing a double podium for the Italian squad despite clear winning margins in both gold-medal races.
Filippo Ganna, Jonathan Milan, Francesco Lamon and Alessio Magagnotti recorded 3 minutes, 45.596 seconds in the men’s final. Denmark finished in 3:40.865, a margin of 4.731 seconds, having taken control from the opening stages. Italy had earned its place in the final by beating Great Britain in the previous round.
The women’s race followed a different pattern. Elisa Balsamo, Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza and Vittoria Guazzini led early, before Britain recovered and pulled away over the second half. The British quartet clocked 4:04.610, compared with Italy’s 4:09.967. Consonni replaced Martina Alzini in the line-up for the final.
The silver ends Italy’s defence of the women’s world title won in Santiago in 2025. It nevertheless keeps both Italian pursuit squads on the world podium. In comments reported by ANSA, coaches Edoardo Salvoldi and Diego Bragato emphasised the development of their groups and the longer journey towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The championships run from 14 to 18 October and award 22 world titles, divided equally between men and women. Italy’s two medals provide an encouraging opening to the programme, while the finals also establish the performance gap to the winning teams. Friday’s endurance schedule includes the men’s points race and individual pursuit, alongside the women’s omnium, offering further opportunities to assess the strength of the Italian squad.