The 2026 UCI Track World Cup culminated in Nilai, Malaysia, where Chinese athletes topped the medal standings with three gold medals over the three days of competition (24-26 April). While the Netherlands collected more medals than China in Nilai (10 to China’s six), with just two golds, they finished the weekend second in the standings.
That's the end of this Round 3 of the UCI Track World Cup 😥
— UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) April 26, 2026
It was 3 great days of racing in Nilai! 🇲🇾#TrackCycling #TrackWC
©️ SWpix pic.twitter.com/Lfli1ktFrR
China’s depth in talent
China made it three victories out of three in the women’s team sprint, adding victory in Nilai to their wins in Perth (Australia) and Hong Kong (China). Xuehuang Luo, Liying Yuan and Yuxuan Zhu got the better of the Netherlands (Kimberley Kalee, Hetty van de Wouw, Steffie van der Peet) on Friday. China’s men’s sprint team – Ruiting Huang, Zhiheng Jin and Zhiwei Li – also stood on the podium in Nilai as they came second to Italy’s Stefano Minuta, Daniele Napolitano and Mattia Predomo.
The team pursuits also brought China two medals in the final round. Ni Li, Zhengyu Pei, Haijiao Sun and Junjie Wu ruled the men’s event, getting the best of France in the final for gold. In the women’s competition, the Chinese came second to New Zealand’s Bryony Botha, Samantha Donnelly, Prudence Fowler and Emily Shearman.
Lijuan Wang gave her nation a final gold medal on Sunday, in the women’s keirin. China also featured on the podium of the women’s individual sprint, as Liying Yuan won the ride-off for bronze against Canada’s Lauriane Genest. Great Britain’s Emma Finucane beat the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw for gold.
Lavreysen and Stenberg in spectacular form
While China celebrated three golds, the Netherlands swarmed the podiums in Nilai with, two victories, four second places, and four third-place finishes. Harrie Lavreysen claimed gold (winner of the men’s individual sprint against UCI World Cycling Centre trainee Nicholas Paul, of Trinidad and Tobago), silver (runner-up to Malaysia’s Mohd Azizulhasni Awang in the men’s keirin), and bronze (3rd in the men’s team sprint, along with Roy van den Berg and Tijmen van Loon). The Dutch combination beat France in the ride for third place. The other gold medal for the Dutch came in the women’s Madison, ruled by Lisa van Belle and Lorena Wiebes.
Norway’s Anita Stenberg won two races on her own, getting the better of Wiebes in the women’s omnium after she had dominated Mexico’s Yareli Acevedo in the women’s elimination race. The other victories in Nilai went to Naoki Kojima (Japan, men’s omnium), Moritz Augenstein and Roger Kluge (Germany, men’s Madison) and Ilya Savekin (AIN, men’s elimination race).
Full results of the third round of the 2026 UCI Track World Cup