Team GB’s Elinor Barker, Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell-Shand and Katie Archibald battled to Olympic gold in the team pursuit, breaking the world record with each ride.
Team GB qualified fastest, breaking the world record on Thursday 11 August. After a day’s rest, the quartet returned to the track on Saturday, to break the world record set by USA only minutes before taking them to the gold medal final. The ride off against USA, who are the current world champions, was close but Team GB shone on the night to win in 4:10.236 setting a new world record.
Elinor Barker from Cardiff is competing in her first Olympics in Rio 2016. Elinor is a two-time world champion in the team pursuit, and took bronze in the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in London. Elinor has previously represented Wales at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, winning silver in the points race and bronze in the scratch.
Matt Cosgrove, Performance Director at Welsh Cycling said:“I would like to congratulate Elinor Barker on her Olympic gold medal in the team pursuit with Team GB. This is Elinor’s first Olympic Games, and the gold medal will add to her multiple world titles achieved as both a junior and senior rider. The quartet broke the world record in each of their rides, and make deserved Olympic Champions. Elinor has been supported in her career by Welsh Cycling as she progressed to the British Cycling programme, and it is a proud moment to see her achieve on the Olympic stage.”
Anne Adams-King, Chief Executive Officer at Welsh Cycling said:“On behalf of Welsh Cycling, I would like to congratulate Elinor on her gold medal, alongside Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell-Shand and Katie Archibald. It is fantastic to see Elinor achieve at the highest level in cycling. She was inspired by Nicole Cooke’s gold in Beijing, and I’m confident there will be young girls in Wales inspired by Elinor, eager to take up cycling. Elinor has shown talent combined with hard-work leads to success, and she is now an inspiration to us all in Wales to cycle”
