Viviani had positioned himself firmly inside the top four throughout the early stages of the event and, in the end, finished just in front of silver medallist luri Leitao (Portugal), with Sergei Rostovtsev settling for bronze.
The Italian’s triumph came just three days after compatriot Letizia Paternoster won the world title in the women’s equivalent, handing their nation a third-placed finish behind the Netherlands and leaders Germany on the medal table.
Day five at the Worlds also saw gold medals awarded in the men’s Madison and Sprint, while the women’s slate included the Points Race and Keirin.
The Danish team of Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Morkov won the gold medal in the men’s Madison, finishing four points in front of runners-up Simone Consonni and Michele Scartezzini of Italy.
Meanwhile, Lotte Kopecky accumulated 76 points in 100 laps to take gold in the Points Race, having lapped the field three times for an additional 60 points.
Kopecky’s total was four points more than silver medallist Katie Archibald (Great Britain) could muster, while Kirsten Wild’s (Netherlands) 60 points was enough for bronze.
Lea Sophie Friedrich, too, tasted success in France, closing out the event with a victory in the women’s Keirin to go along with golds in the 500-metre Time Trial and Team Sprint.
Friedrich beat out Japan’s Mina Sato and Yana Tyshchenko of the Russian Cycling Federation in the finals – her gold medal enough to take Germany’s tally a touch above the fast-finishing Netherlands.
Harrie Lavreysen led Jeffrey Hoogland for a first and second-placed finish for the Dutch in the men’s Sprint, before French sprinter Sebastien Vigier beat out Germany’s Stefan Boetticher in the bronze-medal round.
