Federica Venturelli made a winning start to the 2026 UEC Track Juniors & Under-23 European Championships, claiming the Women’s Under-23 Individual Pursuit title at the velodrome in Cottbus, Germany.
Representing the Italian National Team, the UAE Team ADQ rider secured the gold medal to reaffirm her place among Europe’s leading Individual Pursuit specialists.
Venturelli delivers dominant performance
Venturelli covered the 4,000-metre distance in 4:43.174, recording the fastest time of the competition at an average speed of 50.852 km/h.
After producing an outstanding qualifying ride, the Italian rider staged a superb comeback in the final to defeat Luca Vierstraete of Belgium and claim the European title.
Isabel Sharp of Great Britain completed the podium, taking the bronze medal.
Also representing the UAE Development Team, Magdalena Leis finished 11th in the competition.
Fifth consecutive European title
The victory marks another milestone in Venturelli’s impressive track career, as she claimed the Individual Pursuit European title for the fifth consecutive year.
She previously won the championship twice as a Junior rider and has now secured three successive Under-23 European titles.
Rider reaction
After claiming the gold medal, Federica Venturelli said:
“It was a very demanding race. The Belgian rider set a really strong time in qualifying, so I knew the final would be extremely tough. Racing on an outdoor velodrome also made a difference because we haven’t competed in those conditions for quite some time. I managed to perform at my best both in qualifying and in the final, and I’m really happy to have won the title. It wasn’t one of my main goals this season, so I hadn’t specifically prepared for it, which makes this victory even more satisfying. Winning the Individual Pursuit European title for the fifth consecutive year – twice as a Junior and now three times as an Under-23 rider – is a very special feeling.”
To learn more on Team ADQ, listen to Inside UAE Team ADQ with Melissa Moncada on the Mettleset podcast
