Latvian rider Vineta Pētersone won bronze at the 2026 pump track world championships in Mentougou, China. She beat Switzerland’s Christa von Niederhäusern in the small final, completing her run in 30.308 seconds. Racing took place on a new 275-metre track in the mountains west of Beijing. Ninety-five elite riders from 29 countries arrived for the event, which was brought forward from 17 to 16 October because of the weather forecast.
Timed qualification in the morning sent the fastest 16 women and 16 men into the evening knockout rounds. In the women’s final, Switzerland’s Nadine Aeberhard faced the defending champion, Czech rider Sabina Košárková. Aeberhard won in 29.593 seconds against 29.678, a gap of only 0.085 seconds. It reversed the result of their 2024 final in Durban, where Košárková had been the quicker rider.
In the men’s final, the Netherlands’ Jesse Elzenga turned the bronze he won at the previous world championships into the title. His 27.368-second run beat Ilya Beskrovnyy’s 27.696, while Switzerland’s Tristan Borel took third. The Mentougou racing showed how little separates the medal places on a pump track. For Latvia, Pētersone’s result is a place on the world championship podium in a discipline where rhythm, retained speed and a precise line all count within a single lap.