Hélène Hesters 21st in Shanghai as Netherlands wins two world titles

Hélène Hesters, the reigning European champion in the scratch, finished in 21st place on the first day of the track cycling World Championships in Shanghai, China, while the Netherlands had already claimed two world titles and set the tone for the rest of the championship.

Hélène Hesters' disappointment in the scratch

Hélène Hesters' 21st place came after she delivered a strong headbutt in the final phase of a closed race, but could not anticipate the sprint. She took the rest of the peloton with her, but ultimately ended up in the washing machine, literally heading for a 21st place.

Dutch victories on the first day

Roy van den Berg, Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland secured their eighth world title in nine years in the team sprint, with a winning time of 41"954 compared to 42"470 for Australia. Lorena Wiebes crowned herself world champion for the third consecutive time, and the Dutch men again dominated the spotlights.

Belgian disappointments and a bright spot

Belgium did not deliver a top performance on the first day; in both the team pursuit and the team sprint the Belgian teams did not progress beyond the qualifiers. Four Belgian teams appeared on the track in the morning, but without success. Nevertheless, Nicky Degrendele, Elke Vanhoof and Zita Gheysens set a new national record in the team sprint.

The day's programme included, among other things, an overview of Football, Cycling, Tennis, Formula 1, Basketball and Cyclo-cross, with a calendar of matches and the Ghent Six-Day. It was updated 27 minutes ago, with a preview of the keirin for the men (Lowie Nulens) and the sprint for the women (Degrendele and Gheysens) the next morning.

The Chinese sprinters recorded a historic victory in the women's team sprint, with Tong Mengqi, Yuan Liying and Jiang Yulu taking the gold medal, while Great Britain came second. The bronze medal was awarded to the host nation China in the individual sprint.

For the next day, two Belgian medal opportunities are on the agenda: Lotte Kopecky will start in the points race and Lindsay De Vylder will take part in the scratch. It promises to be a busy continuation, with the Dutch men still chasing one more world title.