Dutch delight as sprinters score double gold at European Track Cycling Championships

Jeffrey Hoogland added to his men's team sprint gold by winning the individual title ©UEC

The Netherlands enjoyed an excellent third day of the European Track Cycling Championships as they topped he podium in the men’s and women’s individual sprint events in Grenchen, Switzerland.

Jeffrey Hoogland showed his form early in the day, posting the fastest qualifying time and comfortably progressing through the rounds with ease, beating Olympic champion Jason Kenny of Britain in the quarter-finals in straight rides.

The Dutchman then repeated the feat in both his semi-final against Poland’s Damian Zielinkski and the gold medal contest against Germany’s Max Niederlag, ending the competition unbeaten to clinch his second title of the Championships, having also claimed gold in the team sprint yesterday.

Zielinkski bounced back from his semi-final loss to the eventual champion by winning both races against his fellow Pole Rafal Sarnecki to clinch the bronze medal.

Hoogland’s compatriot Elis Ligtlee also sent an early season warning to her rivals.

The 2015 World Championship silver medallist proved equally dominant throughout the duration of the women’s individual sprint event.

The 21-year-old showed excellent tactical awareness to control both rides in the final against Russia’s Anastasiia Voinova, who came into the event buoyed by having claimed gold in yesterday’s team sprint event.

Voinova had eliminated the world and Olympic champion Kristina Vogel in the semi-finals, aided by the German having been relegated in one of the two races.

Vogel, though, ensured she finished on the podium, winning the bronze medal in straight rides against France's Virginie Cueff.

Britain's Laura Trott secured her second title in Grenchen after sprinting to victory in the women's scratch race ©British Cycling

The success meant the Dutch moved to the top of the medals table with three gold and one silver medal.

They narrowly ahead of Britain after Laura Trott secured her country’s third title at the Championships.

Trott timed her sprint to perfection in the women’s scratch race to beat her Dutch rival Kirsten Wild and France’s Roxane Fournier, the win seeing the 23-year-old secure her 17th gold medal at senior level.

Poland’s Wojciech Pszczolarski earned the final gold medal of the day, securing a total of 24 points to win the men’s points race ahead of France’s Benjamin Thomas and Switzerland’s Claudio Imhof, who finished on totals of 21 and 19 respectively.

At the half-way stage of the men’s omnium Russia’s Viktor Manakov leads the standings on 78 points but faces the challenge of Belarus’ Raman Tsishkou, 12 points adrift with three events remaining.