Australia Ends Six-Year Drought with Silver in Santiago
The ARA Australian Cycling Team has secured a silver medal in the men's team pursuit at the 2025 UCI Track World Championships held in Santiago, Chile. This significant achievement marks the end of a six-year podium drought for Australia in one of track cycling's premier events. The championships, taking place from October 22nd to 26th, 2025, saw the Australian quartet deliver a strong performance throughout the competition.
Gold Medal Final Against Dominant Denmark
In the highly anticipated gold medal final, Australia faced the formidable Danish team, who clinched their third consecutive world championship title in the men's team pursuit. Denmark completed the 4000-meter race in a time of 3:43.915, securing victory with a margin of 3.343 seconds over Australia. The Australian team, comprising Blake Agnoletto, Oliver Bleddyn, Conor Leahy, and James Moriarty in the final, finished with a time of 3:47.258. Liam Walsh also contributed to the team's success, riding in the earlier rounds.
Team's Resilience and Future Outlook
Despite the loss in the final, the Australian riders expressed pride in their performance and the valuable lessons learned. Olympic champion Conor Leahy acknowledged Denmark as the benchmark team, stating, 'It didn't quite work out the way we wanted which is always disappointing, but I think it's something we can take a lot of learning from moving forward.' He also highlighted the team's ability to continue the momentum from the Paris 2024 Olympics and fight for gold at a major championship.
Broader Australian Success at the Championships
Australia's success in Santiago extended beyond the men's team pursuit. Sprinter Leigh Hoffman earned a silver medal in the men's Keirin, marking his first individual world championship podium. Additionally, Australia secured bronze medals in both the men's and women's team sprint events, showcasing the depth of talent within the national cycling program. The Peñalolén Velodrome in Santiago, a venue inaugurated in 2014, has hosted several international competitions and is making its debut as the host of the UCI Track World Championships.
5 Comments
Bella Ciao
Why celebrate second place? We need to aim higher.
Muchacha
It's great to see Australia back on the podium after so long, showing real progress. However, losing by such a margin to Denmark highlights the work still needed to claim gold.
Mariposa
Australia is back on the track cycling podium! What a performance!
BuggaBoom
Still lost to Denmark by over 3 seconds. Room for improvement there.
Raphael
While silver is a commendable achievement and ends a long drought, the team's own comments suggest they expected more. It's a stepping stone, but not the ultimate goal.