UCI Track World Championships 2026 Womens Points RaceSunday 18 October Shanghai Velodrome, ChinaLara Gillespie world champion 42 points23 starters 25km 100 laps 10 sprints Gillespies second world titleLara Gillespie is a world champion again. The Wicklow rider won the points race at the UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai on Sunday, adding a second rainbow jersey to the elimination title she won in Chile last year.Four days earlier she had lost the scratch title to Lorena Wiebes on a photo finish. This time nobody could match her. Gillespie finished on 42 points, five clear of Denmarks Amalie Dideriksen on 37. Belgiums Shari Bossuyt was third with 35.Photos: SWpixHow the race was wonThe 25km final ran over 100 laps, with a sprint every ten laps paying 5, 3, 2 and 1 points, and double for the last one. Gillespie won the second sprint, and the fifth, to sit in a strong position at halfway. Gillespie, Dideriksen and Bossuyt each gained a lap on the bunch, worth 20 points apiece, and nobody else did it without losing the lap again. That made it a three-rider race for the medals.From there Gillespie stayed on the scoresheet. She was second in sprints seven and nine, and second again in the double-points final sprint, behind Mexicos Yareli Acevedo Mendoza, for six more points. That gave her 42: 22 from the sprints and 20 from the lap. Dideriksen scored 17 from the sprints, including two wins, and Bossuyt 15, also with two wins, but neither could close the gap.The race was run at an average of 50.364 km/h. Twenty-three riders started and 20 finished. Acevedo Mendoza was fourth on 13 points, ahead of the Netherlands Sofie van Rooijen.Its all sinking in now. Im just so happy I could pull this off, Gillespie said. I came really close the other day and I think that really just pushed me on there today because I was really annoyed with that second place.Overall a really good week and I really just cant thank Cycling Ireland and Sport Ireland enough for all the support over the last few years and all the people back home who are getting those key sessions in with me, helping me get fast for the track, so I really just want to say thank you to everyone.Photos: SWpixWomens Points Race Result25km 100 laps 10 sprints 29:47 50.364 km/h1Lara GILLESPIE 52Ireland +1 lap42 pts 2Amalie DIDERIKSEN 45Denmark +1 lap37 pts 3Shari BOSSUYT 41Belgium +1 lap35 pts 4Yareli ACEVEDO MENDOZA 28Mexico13 pts5Sofie VAN ROOIJEN 147Netherlands10 pts6Anna HICKS 179United States +1 / 1 lap9 pts7Lisa KLEIN 111Germany8 pts8Erin BOOTHMAN 49Great Britain7 pts9Aline SEITZ 59Switzerland4 pts10Marion BORRAS 96France4 pts11Bryony BOTHA 57New Zealand2 pts12Rachele BARBIERI 23Italy2 pts13Daniela CAMPOS 32Portugal0 pts14Anita Yvonne STENBERG 56Norway0 pts15Sophie EDWARDS 63Australia 1 lap-16 pts16Wing Yee LEUNG 20Hong Kong 1 lap-20 pts17Yumi KAJIHARA 26Japan 1 lap-20 pts18Suwan WEI 43China 2 laps-37 pts19Eva ANGUELA YAGUEZ 47Spain 2 laps-40 pts20Vendula STRAKATA 10Czechia 2 laps-40 ptsDNFAlexi RAMIREZ 38Trinidad and Tobago 2 lapsDNFDNFZAYED AHMED MOHAMED 46Egypt 3 lapsDNFDNFNafosat KOZIEVA 61Uzbekistan 2 lapsDNFIRLHow Gillespie scored her 42 pointsSprints 5-3-2-1 final sprint double lap gained +20S2Sprint 2winner+5S5Sprint 5winner+5S7Sprint 72nd+3S9Sprint 92nd+3S10Sprint 102nd double points+6LapLap gained20 points+20Total22 sprint points + 20 lap points42Two medals in ShanghaiGillespie leaves China with gold and silver. Her scratch silver on Wednesday came by millimetres behind Wiebes, who won her third straight title in that event. The two have met repeatedly over the past fortnight: Wiebes also beat Gillespie on all three stages of the Tour of Chongming Island before the championships.IRLIrelands Medals Shanghai 2026UCI Track World Championships 1418 OctoberSun 18Lara GILLESPIEPoints race world championWed 14Lara GILLESPIEScratch photo finishHomecomingGillespie and the rest of the Irish team fly home on flight MU231 direct from Shanghai. They are due into Terminal 1 at Dublin Airport at 8am on Monday 19 October.Photos: SWpixThe post Lara Gillespie wins points race to become world champion again in Shanghai appeared first on Irish Cycling News.