2025 Tissot UCI Track World Championships: Torres Barcelo 11 years later

Spaniard wins omnium after 2014 Madison victory

The fourth day of the 2025 Tissot UCI Track World Championships (22-26 October) in Santiago, Chile, saw historic performances, capped off by Spain’s Albert Torres Barcelo taking a thrilling success in the omnium. It was his second rainbow jersey of his career, 11 years after winning the Madison in Cali, Colombia.

Earlier in the evening, the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw conquered the women’s kilometre time trial with a new world record, Great Britain’s Anna Morris ruled the women’s pursuit over 4,000 metres, and Katie Archibald and Madelaine Leech brought Team GB another title in the women’s Madison.

Men’s omnium: Torres wins a thriller

At 35 years old, Spain’s Alberto Torres Barcelo mastered the omnium to take his first individual UCI world title. In 2014, he won the Madison with David Muntaner, but this time, he could only rely on his own skills and cool to resist his rivals and take the gold medal.

Torres Barcelo entered the points race in the lead after consistent results in the scratch race (4th), the tempo race (3rd) and the elimination race (3rd). He went on to lap the field and push his tally to 133 points ahead of the final sprint.

Denmark’s Niklas Larsen unleashed a fierce attack to turn the tables but Australia’s Oliver Bleddyn passed him in the final metres, meaning Japan’s Kazushige Kabuki would take silver ahead of Belgium’s Lindsay de Vylder (winner in 2024), with 131 points each. Larsen came 4th with 130 points.

“I wasn’t even sure I had won,” the Spaniard said. “I am very happy to have won this title. It has been a very difficult year, but an unbeatable end to the season with this rainbow jersey. I had the opportunity to win it in 2014 in Cali, and many years later to do it again with my whole family here on such a long trip is very emotional.”

Women’s kilometre: Van de Wouw the conqueror

The Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw is unstoppable in Santiago, where she’s been racking up win after win to turn last year’s three silver medals at the Tissot UCI Track World Championships into three titles in 2025: the women’s team sprint (an unprecedented win for the Dutch), the individual sprint (a first in 34 years for her nation) and now a trailblazing triumph in the kilometre time trial (raced over 500m until last year).

Van de Wouw came to Santiago as the women’s kilometre time trial world record holder (1:04.497) and she improved her benchmark on two occasions on Saturday: 1:03.652 to rule the qualifying, and 1:03.121 (57.033km/h) to fly to the gold medal ahead of Iana Burlakova (1.676), last year’s winner over 500 metres, and New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews (+1.788).

“It’s two laps longer and I think it’s to my advantage so I’m very happy about it,” said Van de Wouw, who will be racing again on Sunday. “Of course I’m aiming for [another gold medal in the keirin] and I will see how tomorrow goes.”

Women’s Madison: Archibald and Leech make wonders

A new pairing made of an established icon and a rising champion powered Great Britain to victory in an eventful Madison as Katie Archibald and Madelaine Leech successfully partnered up. The former claimed her seventh rainbow jersey, the second in the Madison, while the latter received a first rainbow jersey, after taking the bronze medal on Thursday in the women’s team pursuit

“It’s pretty crazy.” Leech said. “I don’t think I still believe it but hopefully in the morning it will sink in. Katie is a legend to the sport and a great person. I’m really happy about the opportunity to ride with her.”

“There’s nine years between us,”Archibald added. “Maddie was 13 years old when the first women’s Madison title was contended. She’s grown up with this event as a reality, which hasn’t always been the case and it feels very cool to be next to somebody on that journey.”

The British duo scored in eight of twelve sprints, including the last four, to reach a total of 30 points and take the win ahead of France’s Marion Borras and Victoire Berteau (24 points). Italy’s Chiara Consonni and Vittoria Guazzini (20) rounded out the podium after taking gold at last year’s Olympic Games.

Women’s individual pursuit: Morris goes the distance

Anna Morris secured Team GB’s second gold medal of the night in an all-British final. In the first Tissot UCI Track World Championships since the distance of the women’s individual pursuit went from 3,000 metres to 4,000, the reigning UCI World Champion successfully defended her title with a time of 4:27.005 (53.932km/h) against her countrywoman Josie Knight’s 4:29.322 (53.468km/h).

“It’s really quite different [to race 4,000 metres],” Morris said. “The pacing in the first part of the race is even more crucial. In the three kilometres, we saw some people go out really fast and hold on. With the four kilometres, it’s a bit more important to pace the first two kilometres.”

Before the final for gold, the USA’s Chloe Dygert caught Italy’s Federica Venturelli in their duel to take the bronze medal, her sixth medal in the individual pursuit (4 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze).