On 16 October in Shanghai, Jonathan Milan won the individual pursuit final against Denmark’s Frederik Madsen with a 5.269-second margin: 4:00.769 against 4:06.038, averaging 59.8 km/h. A few hours earlier, in qualifying, he had taken the world record to 3:58.850.
Filippo Ganna also made the podium, beating the other Dane, Rasmus Pedersen, in the bronze-medal final. Two Italian medals in the same event, after the silver in the team pursuit on 15 October, again behind Denmark.
Milan decides the final in the first kilometre
Milan started faster than Madsen and took a one-second lead in the first kilometre. He added another in the second, and in the third the gap passed three seconds. In the last thousand metres he did not let up: he stretched out by a further two seconds, to 5.269 at the line.
The final time was 1.919 off the record, but the record was already his: in qualifying Milan had gone 3’58”850, 303 thousandths of a second quicker than his previous best, set on 18 October 2024 in Copenhagen. Madsen had been second with 3:59.979, he too under four minutes.
Ganna turns Pedersen around in the third kilometre
Ganna took bronze in a different way. Against Pedersen he started more slowly, about one and a half tenths of a second behind at the first kilometre and three tenths at the second. Then he changed pace: in the third kilometre he went ahead and at the finish had a 5.016 advantage, in 4:02.275.
Ganna is 30, was individual pursuit world champion in 2020, 2022 and 2023, and on the road is the time triallist for Netcompany Ineos. The bronze in Shanghai comes a day after the team silver, which he rode alongside Milan.
For Milan, a title on top of the record
Milan is 26 and won his first world gold in this event in 2024. On the road he rides for Lidl-Trek, and he is a sprinter: in 2026 he has won 12 races, stages included, in 56 days of racing.
A year ago the best Italian had been fifth, and gold had gone to Britain’s Josh Charlton ahead of Pedersen and America’s Anders Johnson. In Shanghai Italy returns to the top step and Milan remains the world record holder.
Denmark remain the team to beat
Madsen and Pedersen rode both the individual finals and the team final, where Denmark won the fourth title in a row. The Shanghai World Championships run until 18 October.
The final
| # | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Milan (Italy) | 4’00”769 |
| 2 | Frederik Madsen (Denmark) | 4’06”038 |
| 3 | Filippo Ganna (Italy) | 4’02”275 |
| 4 | Rasmus Pedersen (Denmark) | 4’07”291 |
News written with the help of Mnemosyne.
Sources
- Results and times: Tissot Timing, official UCI timekeeper, “Track World Championships 2026”.