Frenchman Sébastien Vigier European champion in individual sprint, ahead of Jack Carlin, Rayan Helal in bronze

He had tasted this joy so young, at 20 years old. Sébastien Vigier returned to the heights of sprinting on the Old Continent this Sunday, becoming European individual sprint champion again, five after his coronation in 2017. He won the final in Munich against Jack Carlin, on a 200 meter track (against 250 meters usually) offering the French delegation its third gold medal in the competition.

Two months before the World Championships, the Dutch terrors Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland skipped the event. In this context, it is difficult to hope for better than the match between Vigier (3rd in the last Worlds) and Carlin (3rd in the last Olympics). He kept his promises, competing in the best of three rounds, even if the fall of the British track rider (in the half) seemed to bother him.

Second round won by a breath

Sébastien Vigier clearly lost the first round, when he started in second position. He won the second by a small margin, as evidenced by a photo-finish which tore a nervous smile from Grégory Baugé and Jason Kenny, former glories of the track in support of their successors. Then the final battle was overflown by the Frenchman, facing an opponent who seemed exhausted.

Bronze also for Berteau

Compatriot de Vigier and also a candidate for the continental title, Rayan Helal was found at fault in the half, during the famous fall of Carlin. He said goodbye to gold on sanction, but got the better of Hamish Turnbull in the small final – another duel between France and Great Britain – to adorn himself with bronze. Victoire Berteau gleaned a medal of the same metal, during the points race, won by the favorite, the Belgian Lotte Kopecky.

Viviani 7th on the road, gold on the track

On the tricolor side, still, Valentin Tabellion took 8th place in the elimination race, won by an Elia Viviani who was familiar with the gift of ubiquity, in his own way. Seventh in the road race won by Fabio Jakobsen, on the road, shortly after 3 p.m., the Italian car did not suffer too much from the 208 terminals covered. The proof, he crushed the test in the evening, holding his rank of reigning world champion. Hat.