At the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Ballerup, 21-year-old British cyclist Josh Charlton stunned the cycling world by breaking the individual pursuit world record over 4 km. During the qualifying rounds, Charlton clocked an astonishing time of 3 minutes, 59.304 seconds, becoming just the third rider in history to break the mythical four-minute barrier. In doing so, he erased the previous record of 3:59.636, set by Italy’s Filippo Ganna in 2022.
A World Record That Lasted Just a Few Hours
Charlton’s achievement was all the more remarkable given that this was his first elite-level World Championships. Just a day earlier, he had already claimed a silver medal in the team pursuit, finishing just tenths of a second behind Denmark. Going into the final against Italy’s Jonathan Milan as the fastest qualifier, Charlton experienced a moment of pure disbelief as he saw his record-breaking time flash up on the screen an emotion shared by the Danish crowd, who erupted in applause at his incredible feat.
Charlton later revealed that earlier in the year, he had struggled with chronic fatigue following an illness in March and April. His recovery was slow and demanding, but in the final month leading up to the Worlds, he experienced a dramatic improvement in performance. His coach, Ben Greenwood, could hardly contain his excitement, celebrating the unexpected record with the British Cycling team.
Despite what he described as “average conditions” in terms of air pressure and temperature, and the Ballerup Super Arena’s long straights, which typically slow riders down, Charlton managed to overcome these challenges to deliver a historic ride.
For Charlton, the reality of breaking the world record was still sinking in. “It’s incredible. I think it’ll take a while for it to feel real,” he admitted after the race, still in shock at his own performance. However, just a few hours later, in the final against Milan, he couldn’t quite replicate his qualifying time, finishing in 4:00.232, slightly off his earlier pace.
Milan, a multiple world champion and Olympic gold medalist, seized the moment and rode even faster than Charlton’s record-breaking time, setting a new world record at 3:59.153.
Still, for a 21-year-old making his senior debut at a major championship, and after dominating the junior ranks over the past three years, Charlton’s performance has firmly established him as one of the rising stars of endurance track cycling.
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