“This is an extremely important race. There is no race more important than this. But this is still cycling. It is still what I do because... of course, it is my profession, but I do it for fun. I do it because I love it because it is something that gives me a lot of pleasure and gives me a great adrenaline rush. And, at the end of the day, it is just another competition with the best cyclists in the world. And it is a great pleasure to be able to share the track with them and to be able to compete shoulder to shoulder with them”, he declared.

In the mixed zone of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, the 26-year-old cyclist expressed his gratitude and joy for being at the Olympic Games, admitting that it is “difficult to describe” what it feels like to win a medal.

“I see that everyone is very happy. I am also very happy. But what does this medal mean? I don’t know what it means, really. As I say, it is just another race at the end of the day. But I am very happy to be here, I say it again, and to achieve this result is special. But I still don’t know how special it is”, he reiterated.

In Portugal’s men’s Olympic debut in track cycling, Iúri Leitão finished the omnium with 153 points, behind Frenchman Benjamin Thomas (164) and ahead of Belgian Fabio van den Bossche (131), giving the Portuguese Mission in Paris2024 the second medal, after judoka Patrícia Sampaio’s bronze in -78 kg.

“I don’t think [the silver medal] will change much. I’ve been doing my job as always. Last year I was the world champion. This year I managed to, let’s say, confirm my place among the best cyclists in the world. I don’t think it will change much. I’ll keep doing the same thing, I’ll keep doing the same job as always and wait for opportunities to show my worth”, he summed up.