The ARA Australian Cycling Team has a silver start to its 2026 UCI Track World Championships campaign at Shanghai Chongming Velodrome in China.

Leigh Hoffman, Ryan Elliott and Danny Barber (New South Wales Institute of Sport – NSWIS) secured Australia’s fifth consecutive Track Worlds men’s team sprint medal in a fearless gold medal final performance against the Netherlands.

The trio led for two of the three laps after Elliott’s hot start out of the gate, but the evergreen Dutch clawed the Australians back to win by 0.516 seconds and claim a fourth-straight world championship.

Despite seeing an early lead slip away, Hoffman said the trio were “still pretty proud and happy” with their performance.

“Definitely felt good to get all the way to the final,” Hoffman said.

“We had some rusty legs in qualifying but then brought it back to qualify for the gold, silver ride-off, which was great.

“For the final, we made a minor change in strategy. Just tried to have a little gamble and it almost paid off.

“We were up to the 500-metre mark, so we definitely gave the Dutch a run for their money.

“It’s definitely bittersweet to miss out on the rainbow bands but considering last year was a bronze and this year we have silver; I think this team is on the way up.”

In other results on the opening night, Australia’s team sprint women – comprised of Kristina Clonan, Molly McGill and Alessia McCaig – finished seventh.

The team pursuit men line of Conor Leahy, James Moriarty, Blake Agnoletto and Thomas Cornish narrowly missed qualifying for tomorrow’s bronze medal final and will finish in fifth following the medal finals.

Medal hopes remain intact for the team pursuit women, with Claudia Marcks, Alyssa Polites, Sophie Edwards and Felicity Wilson-Haffenden qualifying fifth earlier in the day.

The quartet will race their first round heat opposite the home nation tomorrow evening knowing a top-four time is needed to progress to the bronze medal final.

A bunch sprint finish to the women’s scratch race went the way of Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes for the third-straight year. Maeve Plouffe crossed the line in 14th.

Feature picture: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

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