Swiss perform well in Antwerp

Bruno Risi (centre) won the gold medal at the world track cycling championships in Antwerp Keystone Archive

Swiss riders participating in the world track cycling championships in Antwerp, Belgium, have come out with good results.

On Saturday, the veteran Bruno Risi took the gold medal in the 40-kilometre points race. His two compatriots, Alexander Aeschbach and Franco Marvulli, came out fourth in the 60-kilometre Madison on Sunday.

The pair, who had hoped to come out in the top six, proved to be the best sprinters. They obtained the most points (28) in Sunday’s race, ahead of the Australians (24) and the Argentineans (19).

However, the French, Spanish and Argentinean teams were able to take a one-round lead in the first third of the race. France’s Jérôme Neuville and Robert Sassone came out victorious, after taking yet another round 20 kilometres before the end of the race.

Risi takes the gold

Risi dominated Saturday’s points race from start to finish. He easily beat Juan Esteban Curuchet of Argentina and Austria’s Franz Stocher.

“Everything went well for me today,” Risi said. “This world title is the nicest gift I could hope for.”

The Swiss cyclist piled on the points early on and made sure he controlled the race from then on. He resisted several assaults from Spain’s Olympic champion, Juan Llaneras, who was unable to defeat his vigilance.

The 33-year-old was also threatened by France’s Robert Sassone, who unsuccessfully attempted to take a lap on the Swiss with two dozen laps to go.

But Risi pulled through, and finished the race with 29 points after 48.22 minutes.

The Swiss from canton Uri pulled off his fifth world title in the points race on Saturday. He won the gold in 1991 as an amateur, and was victorious in 1992, 1994 and 1999 as a professional.

swissinfo with agencies