Dutch great Lavreysen lifts 18th track world title

Dutch master Harrie Lavreysen took his tally of world titles to a record-extending 18 as he produced a masterclass to win the keirin at the UCI Track World Championships on Thursday.

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The five-time Olympic champion has been almost unbeatable in track cycling's sprint disciplines for six years although the unpredictable keirin has arguably been his weaker discipline.

But once he burst to the front with two laps remaining in Thursday’s final there was simply no stopping him as he won his fourth world title in the discipline. Australia’s Leigh Hoffman and Lavreysen’s teammate Jeffrey Hoogland took the silver and bronze.

It was the fourth gold medal of the championships for the powerful Dutch team with Lavreysen and Hoogland also part of the team sprint trio who triumphed over Britain on Wednesday.