Jan-Willem van Schip looked to be in contention for a medal in the men's elimination race at the UCI Track World Championships on Sunday. Rather than sprinting three up laps against eventual winner Tobias Aagaard Hansen (Denmark) and silver medalist Elia Viviani (Italy), van Schip was demoted for “dangerous riding” and then for “insulting, threatening, or inappropriate behavior”. He was disqualified.

Following the public misconduct, national coach Nick Stapler replaced Van Shipp with Vincent Hoppesack in the men's Madison, the final event of Sunday's Track World Championships. Hoppezack and Havik finished sixth in the 200-lap race.

The elimination race was the third of five medal events Sunday at the Ballerup Super Arena in Denmark.

Jules Hesters (Belgium) was eliminated in the early rounds for “dangerous riding” in a close pass and push against Edivaldo Maldonado Rayas (Mexico). Three laps later, Blake Agnollett (AUS) was demoted for causing a crash.

Then, with five laps to go, Jan-Willem van Schip (Netherlands) took fourth place in front of Diogo Narciso (Portugal). On the very next lap, Van Schip was running in front of Dylan Bibic (Canada), but the jury demoted Van Schip for “dangerous riding” against Narciso and eliminated him from the race.

Instead of advancing to the medal round, where Bibic won the bronze medal, Van Ship jumped off the track. Instead of leaving the arena, however, he reportedly cursed the UCI in front of the crowd and made an obscene gesture toward officials.

Van Ship was subsequently disqualified for “assault, threats, insults, intimidation, and inappropriate conduct toward another person.”

Van Ship was touted on social media as a medal hopeful by the Dutch team on the final day of competition to “get revenge” for his disappointing performance at the Paris Olympics, where he was also disqualified. On that occasion, he competed against Yoeli Habik in Madison, where Oliver Wood was disqualified for using his head to push the British rider and causing him to fall.

Hesters was very unhappy with the demotion, finishing 18th, well out of medal contention, but his reaction was out of competition.

“I feel robbed,” was Hesters' candid reaction to Sporza after the competition.

“I've done things wrong myself in the race, and I know that. But I feel really robbed right now. I can't even touch that rider. I don't understand.

“This ends my world championship and puts me at a disadvantage. I can't believe I'm being singled out ...... when there are riders who can do anything. I have to get over it, but I feel like I'm being liquidated."

He also said that he was ”not sure what I'm going to do now, but I'm going to do it.

Referring to a disqualification he received two years ago in the same event at the European Championships, he said, “It was fair then. Since then I feel like I have been unfairly scrutinized. Today I really don't understand. I think it's totally unfair.”

Juan Ship's behavior was a negative part of the tumultuous ending. The Danish crowd preferred to celebrate a second gold medal for Denmark, with Hansen winning just after Julie Less won gold in the women's points race on Sunday.

The two gold medals gave Denmark two gold medals on the fifth and final day of competition at the Ballerup Super Arena outside Copenhagen, giving them four gold medals to tie Great Britain and the Netherlands.