The journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will officially start with the Track European Championships in Grenchen (Switzerland) from 8 to 12 February 2023. The continental event will kick-off the Olympic qualifications for the Track cycling events in Paris, that will take place from 5 to 11 August 2024.
The importance of the continental event has been confirmed by the registration of the best European specialists (290 in total, 120 women and 170 men) who will be competing for the 22 titles on offer, 11 in the women’s category and 11 in the men’s category, over five days of racing.
In the women’s races will be the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team Sprint champions, the Germans Franziska Brausse, Mieke Kroeger and Lisa Klein, and the multiple champion Katie Archibald, the British winner of two Olympic gold medals, four World Championships and fourteen European titles.
Also in the lineup will be the French Mathilde Gros and Taky Marie-Divine Kouamé, respectively current world champions in the Sprint and 500 Metres, the German Team Sprint champions Emma Hinze, Pauline Grabosch and Lea Sophie Friedrich, also Keirin world champion, Elimination world champion, Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) who at the last World Championships also won a gold medal in the Madison race with her compatriot Shari Bossuyt.
Among the other athletes competing will be the Italians Elisa Balsamo, Chiara Consonni, Martina Fidanza, Vittoria Guazzini and Martina Alzini (current Team Pursuit world champions), the Danish Amalie Dideriksen and Julie Leth and the Swiss Marlen Reusser, Olympic silver medallist and Individual Time-Trial European champion, who made her debut in an international Track competition.
The men’s lineup will include Filippo Ganna, who set the hour record in Grenchen last October and will lead the Italian team and who also won the gold in the Tokyo Games Team Pursuit together with Simone Consonni, Francesco Lamon and Jonathan Milan.
The Team Pursuit also promises to be one of the most exciting races featuring the current world champions the Britons, Oliver Wood, Ethan Vernon and Dan Bigham.
The multiple Dutch world champions and Team Pursuit Olympic champions Harrie Lavreysen, Roy van den Berg and Jeffrey Hoogland will also spice up the Sprint races.
Among the other big names will be the French Benjamin Thomas and Donovan Grondin, Madison world champions, Elia Viviani (Italy), Elimination gold medal in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and multiple European champion.
Enrico Della Casa, President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme:«To return to Grenchen after the experiences of 2015 and 2021 will be like a kind of homecoming for the European Track movement and we will also open the Olympic qualification period.
For this reason, the Championships that will take place in a few days are an important event for technicians, athletes and fans, who will be able to watch the best specialists compete and follow their progress to the next international events.
On behalf of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme, I wish to sincerely thank the organising committee, the facility and all the staff at Tissot Velodrome, especially Peter Wirz, Elena von Ballmoos and Juan Espasandin, as well as all the volunteers for their great commitment and passion, which are a true guarantee of excellent organisation like we have had in the past.
Special thanks to the Swiss Cycling Federation lead by Co-Presidents Franz Gallati and Patrick Hunger, the General Director Thomas Peter who has always promoted and supported Track, the Canton of Solothurn with Sportfonds and the City of Grenchen and its Mayor François Scheidegger for the welcome they will give to national teams, media and the many fans who are getting ready to experience this great sporting moment.»
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