World title left Yúri Leitão with “feeling of duty accomplished”

“ Cthe highest possible Olympic qualification is always very good. We knew it was important to start well”, noted the Vianense of 28 years, in an interview with the agency Lusa.

Three years after having been a sacred world champion of omnium for the first time, Piglet again won gold in the discipline, in the Worlds that took place in Shanghai and that marked the beginning of the Olympic qualification in track cycling for Los Angeles2028.

“ It gives us room to breathe later, if necessary, or even to give other athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level. And leaving with a gold and a silver of the two Olympic modalities right at the first opportunity, and above all in the test that gives the most points, it is a good situation for us, it makes us comfortable, relaxed and with the sense of duty fulfilled ", highlighted.

Olympic Vice Champion of the Omnium in Paris2024, the first Portuguese to win two medals in the same edition of the Olympic Games – reached gold in madison with Rui Oliveira – rejected that its world title be a warning to competition in two years' time.

“ If we're going to see, whoever was on the podium were athletes who were in the Paris Games. [...] They are athletes who are at the highest level, already they were and still are. And just as it is a reminder to them that I remain well, it is also a reminder to me that the competition does not stop evolving”, countered.

The corridor of Caja Rural has difficulty comparing the two titles won on the omnium in Mundials, remembering that the first arrived when it was “beginning to have better results”.

“I had been Europe’s champion twice before. He was competing for the second time in an omnium in a World Championship, but for the first time with more ambition – even if [in the first] he had stayed at the podium doors. But, precisely for this reason, I was also hoping that I could make a good place”, he recalls.

For Piglet, “it was very special” to get his first rainbow sweater in the Olympic cycle after the disappointment that was Portugal not qualify for Tokyo2020 “for a place”.

“And in the only World Championship that was in that Olympic cycle, it was extremely special to start my first title and almost guarantee the qualification, because the amount of points we met on that day almost guaranteed our presence, at least in the omnium test”, scored.

Three years later, he became a champion again, after not being able to be in the best shape in the past two editions – even that of 2024 failed.

“ We start sometimes thinking that it may never happen again. And it was very good to realize that we could still be at the top of the world ", evaluated.

The Portuguese Olympic was thrilled when he won gold in Shanghai, explaining that it remains a pride to represent Portugal and revealing that his participation was in doubt.

“ After the trip, right after the first practice, I felt physical, muscular difficulties. I had a few days without training”, he confessed.

There were some doubts about whether he could compete and the entire team “had five stars” supporting him.

“ Since my colleagues, who psychologically stood by me and helped me to be strong and cold-headed, like all the rest of the staff, especially the therapists and our doctor, who did everything so that I could recover and that I was calm until the day of the competition ", told Lusa.

For the Vianese, competing “was a relief”, even if there were “some doubts” on his part that he might not be well because he could not train a few days.

“ But in the end, getting the title was a stress relief. Plus, the day of the omnium was a very long day. We were almost 12 hours inside the track. It was very stressful the day, because we started in the lead. It was perhaps not the most perfect scenario, to have a target on the back”, granted.

When he started the points race, Piglet knew that “he was very fair.”.

“ I had six points for the second, 12 for the third and 14 for the fourth. They are very small margins in a race where you earn 30, 40, 50 points, sometimes even more. There was a lot of tension all day for things to go well. But much more from me than from the selector or the mechanics or the doctor. No one was as worried as I was”, he recognized.

Conquering gold assumed a relief for Leitão, who still became vice-champion in madison next to Ivo Oliveira.

“ I told Ivo that if we didn't have any kind of bad luck, if we were tactically okay, there was a chance that we could have a medal, even if the other selections were very strong. And that's what happened. But without a doubt, the Danes presented themselves stronger than everyone else,” he admitted.

Lasse Norman Leth and Carl-Frederik Bévort were “very superior” and tactically “very well”.

“If it had been another selection to win, it would be unfair. And we, within what was our ability, have done everything, technically and tactically, to achieve the best possible result. And I think we've just been classified. The silver fit us very well”, he concluded.