Impressive Lotte Kopecky dominates and claims European championship gold in elimination race
Lotte Kopecky lived up to her favorite status on the second day of the European Track Cycling Championships in Turkey. In the elimination race, the Belgian was unstoppable: she easily beat French rider Victore Berteau in the sprint for the European title.
Before the start of the elimination race, nearly all eyes were on Lotte Kopecky. The Belgian track specialist – who already claimed the European title in this event in 2022, 2023, and 2024 – was going for a fourth European crown in Konya, Turkey. However, she still had to overcome strong competitors like Lea Lin Teutenberg, Victoire Berteau, Letizia Paternoster, and the Dutch Yuli van der Molen.
Kopecky was not planning to be caught off guard at the Konya velodrome and immediately took the lead. The SD Worx-Protime rider seemed to effortlessly stay at the front of the pack, while one rider after another was eliminated from the race.
With Kopecky, Berteau, Teutenberg, and Paternoster, the four expected women remained. The Italian – who had flirted several times with elimination – ran out of strength and just missed out on a medal. Not long after, Teutenberg also faded, leaving Kopecky and Berteau to contest the gold medal.
However, there was no tense battle for the European title. Kopecky was in a league of her own against her French rival. With a long final sprint, she left Berteau behind without mercy on her way to a new European title in the elimination race.
