Maria Martins wins bronze in the scratch race at the Shanghai track cycling worlds
Portugal's track cycling campaign at the world championships opened with a bronze medal for Maria Martins in Shanghai on Wednesday, 14 October. The 27-year-old finished third in the women's scratch race as the first Portuguese rider to compete at the event.
Bronze in the opening race
Maria Martins won bronze in the women's scratch race at the track cycling world championships in Shanghai, China, on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, giving Portugal its first medal of the event. The 27-year-old, who has competed at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, covered the 40 laps of the 10 km velodrome track and stayed with the right riders when the decisive attack came. She finished third behind Lorena Wiebes of the Netherlands, who took gold, and Lara Gillespie of Ireland, who took silver. Before the race, the Portuguese delegation had placed most of its podium hopes on Iúri Leitão, whose races are set for the coming days, and Martins's result was a surprise contribution from the women's side.
A podium record since 2020
Martins's bronze is her third world championship medal, and all three have been bronze. The earlier two came in the scratch race in Berlin, Germany, in 2020 and in the omnium at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, in 2022. She won the European scratch title in 2023 and finished third in the scratch in 2019 and 2025. At the 2020 European championships she also took bronze in the elimination race.
- Finishes third in the scratch race
- Bronze in the scratch race at the world championships
- Bronze in the elimination race
- Bronze in the omnium at the world championships
- Wins the European scratch title
- Finishes third in the scratch race
Programme for the coming days
Daniela Campos is scheduled to race the women's elimination on Thursday, 15 October, and Diogo Narciso rides the men's scratch race the same day. On Friday, 16 October, Martins opens her omnium campaign with the scratch race, followed by the time trial and the elimination. The championships also serve as the qualifying event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and Martins is aiming to compete in the omnium, a discipline that combines four variants of track cycling.
Leitão and the Portuguese hopes
Iúri Leitão is the Portuguese rider who won the Olympic madison title with Rui Oliveira, after taking silver in the omnium at Paris 2024. The men's events remain ahead, and Martins's bronze gave Portugal a result before the more heavily tipped riders had raced.