ARA Australian Cycling Team sprinter Leigh Hoffman has ended his breakout 2025 UCI Track World Championships campaign with a third medal, winning sprint bronze in Santiago.
After qualifying fourth and navigating his way through the early rounds on the penultimate day, Hoffman started the final day in a mouthwatering head-to-head battle against Great Britain's Matthew Richardson in the semifinal.
The 25-year-old South Australian was unable to get the better of his former teammate but didn't allow that disappointment impact a commanding bronze medal final triumph over Trinidad and Tobago's Nicholas Paul to sign off from a intensive week in Chile.
Hoffman said the winning the second individual Track Worlds medal of his career was a terrific feeling.
"Definitely pretty stoked with the individual medal, it’s been a long hard week of racing and I’m really happy with how my legs have gone overall with speed and form," he said.
"I really wanted to beat Matthew to progress into the gold and silver ride off against Harrie (Lavreysen). Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it done, so then I had to reset and regroup going into the bronze ride off."
Hoffman's transition to a bona fide threat in the individual events has arrived off the back of results this week and the potential for further improvement remains open.
Known as the world's fastest team sprint starter up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Hoffman's training for that position hampered his ability to factor in sprint and keirin equations, often competing primarily in the team sprint at international events.
With his team sprint role shifted back to being the second rider post-Paris, Hoffman's individual opportunities and potential have flourished.
"Realistically for me nothing has really changed mentality wise. I still train the same day in day out just now the adjustments to training distances and volume has grown," he said.
"It’s been my first year of training for all three sprint events with that extra volume and to come away with a medal in each event is amazing. I’m definitely keen for next year after another several months of similar training load under my belt."
Rising women's sprint sensation Alessia McCaig recorded a career-best finish of fourth in the keirin to wrap up her second Track Worlds.
McCaig was dynamic in the preliminary rounds of the keirin, including a smart semifinal move that saw her qualify for the medal final by cutting underneath three other riders from the back of the race.
The 22-year-old continues to improve year-on-year and said she was "excited" about her fourth-place result.
"It was my first major final at an international race and I'm so happy with the outcome," she said.
"I'm also really happy with how I raced all throughout the day. I was really proactive in the initial rounds, and then held good form throughout the day."
The Bendigo product heads into 2026 eyeing off a second Commonwealth Games selection and a breakthrough international individual medal.
"I think that as I go throughout my career I'm just learning more and more and improving each race, which is really promising," she said.
"I feel that I'm stronger and faster from training. I think the move to Brisbane and into a great training environment has really helped my progression as well. Also, I have raced quite a number of keirins at an international level, and I have been learning from each of those which has helped me up to today.
"I'm excited to see what the future holds."
Two-time Olympian Alex Manly also scored a result of fourth on the final day, falling agonisingly short of a medal in the points race.
The 2019 points race world champion fell victim to a standings shake-up in the closing laps, finishing nine points behind eventual Mexican gold medallist Yareli Acevedo and two behind the bronze medal.
Madison pairing Blake Agnoletto and Oliver Bleddyn ended the final race of the Championships in 13th.
Feature picture: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com