After a high-speed race, the medal decision remained for the final sprint, in which the Portuguese duo scored six points to leave them with 31, just one behind France, world champions and third in the European Championship.
Germany was crowned champions, with 43, while Italy held onto silver, with 34.
The two Portuguese launched their first attack with 137 laps to go and although they couldn’t get around the peloton, they managed to win three sprints and score 15 points.
Iúri Leitão and Rui Oliveira again tried to leave the field with 30 laps to go, joining Italy in the lead, managing to win two more sprints and take second place in the final sprint, which was worth double, to another six points.
“We had an excellent race and both Iuri and Rui did very well. The race was very tough, very demanding and I am very proud of the work they did. They showed the quality of Portugal and its drivers and we have left our mark on this European championship. We left here motivated to continue working and to evolve even more,” said Portuguese coach Gabriel Mendes.
Portugal won two medals at the Grenchen Europeans, with Maria Martins’ gold in the scratch and Rui Oliveira’s silver in the pursuit.
“I would say we had an excellent championship and we achieved the goals we set. We finished all endurance events in the top 10 and even won two medals. In addition, Rodrigo Caixas improved his record in the individual pursuit that was very positive. We always want better and we will continue to move in this direction,” said Gabriel Mendes.
Source: DN
