Wave of congratulations for Iúri Leitão and Rui Oliveira
On the penultimate day of the Paris Olympics, Portuguese track cycling duo Iúri Leitão and Rui Oliveira secured Portugal’s one and only gold medal of the event, bringing congratulations from all quarters.
The two young cyclists scored 55 points in the 200 laps of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, eight more than Italy, with Simone Consonni and Elia Viviani, in second place, while Denmark, with Niklas Larsen and Michael Moerkoev, finished in third place with 41.
Their victory was all the more spectacular in that it is the first that Portugal has ever won outside athletics.
Football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the first to send congratulations, over Instagram, saying exactly what everyone in Portugal will have been thinking: “What pride, champions!”
In Paris for the event, prime minister Luís Montenegro echoed the emotion: “What pride for Portugal! Once more it has been demonstrated that with courage and determination, our dreams are realised”.
Yesterday’s gold was the fourth medal in these games, and Iúri Leitão’s second (he already won a silver in the ‘omnium’ a few days before) – making the 26-year-old cyclist the first Portuguese athlete ever to win two medals in the same Olympic Games.
Other winners this year were Pedro Pichardo in the triple jump (silver) and Patrícia Sampaio (judo, 78kg).
But for yesterday’s cycling pair there will be many more congratulations to come, and a new focus no doubt on this sport which has suddenly been so heartwarmly promoted. 
International press reports showed that Portugal’s win was never seriously considered.
Said nbcolympics.com “The men’s Madison was an improbable win for the duo as Leitao was tired from the omnium and Oliviera had never won a top-level race. It was only the 7th time the pair had ever ridden together.
“After the race, Oliveira couldn’t believe it. “I’ve no words,” he said. “This whole thing is a dream. I don’t think I’m living this… I’ve never won a single race in my life. It was so many disappointments to go through these years and to finally, yeah, if someone told me I would win my first race at the Olympics, I would say you’re kidding me.”
He also agreed that the duo was “not even close to being one of the favorites for this race but we rolled our hearts out and with all my brothers and family here, we pushed to the limits…”
ND
