Elia Viviani won his first track world title in Sunday's elimination race, giving Italy 10 medals and celebrating its best ever world championships at the Roubaix velodrome.

Viviani is the only athlete on the Italian track team over the age of 30, and his years of success, especially in the omnium at the 2016 Rio Olympics, have been a major factor in the success of Filippo Ganna, Elisa Balsamo, Letizia Paternoster, and most recently Jonathan Milano and He has inspired a new generation of athletes, including Martina Fidanza, and contributed to the success of the Italian track program.

Fidanza started Italy's medal run by winning the world title in the women's scratch race on the first day of the 2021 Track World Championships. Viviani won Italy's fourth world title on Sunday afternoon along with the men's team pursuit, while Paternoster won the women's elimination race on Thursday.

The women's team pursuit team took silver, Milano took silver in the men's individual pursuit, and Simone Conssoni and Michele Scartezzini took silver in the men's Madison. In the Individual Pursuit, Gana, who fainted during the qualifying run, won the bronze medal, and Viviani and Balsamo won bronze in the Omnium.

Twelve of the 17 members of the Italian team won medals, but the sprint events were again Italy's weak point. The only bad news at the Roubaix World Championships was the theft of a number of track bikes, including the gold-painted men's team Pursuit bike.

Combined with the European track and road championships and Italy's success at the road world championships in Belgium, the Azzurri won a total of 11 titles in 2021, with six silver and five bronze medals. The men's team pursuit team won gold in Tokyo, and on Sunday the National Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) presented them with Tokyo's Men's Multi-Athlete of the Year award.

"It's the best track team in Italian history," Viviani told La Gazzetta dello Sport (open in new tab).

"I am proud to be the leader of a group of talented young athletes. Up until now we have not had a good record. But now the bar has been raised and we cannot be satisfied with just medals. Expectations are high and we will have to work even harder."

The Italian track team is currently bullish on the 2024 Paris Olympics, but faces staff turnover as new Federation president Cordiano Dagnoni pushes for a change of national coach.

New president Dagnoni has already appointed former Liquigas coach Roberto Amadio as team coach, and Daniele Bennati will replace Davide Cassani on the men's pro road team selection committee. Dino Salvoldi, the longtime women's track and road coach, will also be replaced. Dagnoni will name a new coach on November 2.

Vivani is also facing changes as she finally enjoys the off-season. The Verona-born sprinter will move from Cofidis to Ineos Grenadier in 2022, hoping to rediscover at least some of the success he enjoyed during his prosperous time with Quick Step in 2018-2019.

He will be with Team Sky from 2015 to 2017 and will be allowed to mix road sprint and track racing again while pursuing other world titles.

"It's not an omnium title, but a gold medal in an elimination race is the perfect way to open my rainbow jersey account," Viviani told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I was inspired by the Team Pursuit athletes and seeing them on the podium motivated me even more. Hopefully this will be the first of many rainbow jerseys."