The 34-year-old Dane rounded out another strong season by becoming European Champion on the track for the first time in his career.
The Track European Championships in Apeldoorn – one of the last international competitions before the 2020 Olympic Games – concluded on Sunday with one of the most exciting and awaited events of the competition, the Madison, which gathered 18 pairs at the start.
Together with Lasse Norman Hansen, Danish Road Race Champion Michael Mørkøv put in a fantastic performance over the 200 laps of the race, amassing points on the sprint laps and giving Denmark an early lead, which then the two Danes expertly held onto all the way to the finish, where they concluded with a hefty gap over the Netherlands and Germany, the two teams that ended up fighting for the minor placings on the podium.
By taking the European title, Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s rider and his countryman wrote a page of history, the gold medal captured in the Omnisportcentrum being Denmark’s first in the Madison at the continental competition.
“We did a really good race, scored some morale-boosting points in the beginning and then made sure of remaining consistent and adding to our tally as the event progressed. I am extremely delighted with this victory, because it’s a nice way to finish the season. On top of that, it gives us a lot of confidence, as it’s an important first step towards next year’s Olympics in Tokyo”, Michael said after his first gold medal on the track in a decade.
Photo credit: ©Justin Setterfield/ Getty Images
