Katie Archibald faced a gradual erosion of her resilience within the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome, acknowledging that the overwhelming pressure of participating in the UCI Cycling World Championships, only a year after her partner Rab Wardell’s passing due to cardiac arrest, took its toll.
“I’ve grappled with the pressure,” the Scot confessed, having missed out on securing any medals in the women’s Omnium.
“I had thought that once I began competing, maybe it would become manageable. Since May, I’ve been grappling with this anxiety, sensing that I’d be put out there for inevitable challenges.”
Towards the conclusion of the demanding Omnium, Archibald managed to rally, but for the most part of the evening, she remained a subdued presence. Despite having won a gold medal earlier in the week in the women’s team pursuit, she finished in fourth place at UCI Cycling , trailing Jennifer Valente of the United States.
“The scratch race didn’t go as planned, the tempo deviated significantly from my intentions, and I committed a major blunder during the elimination race—a passive mistake, which is even more exasperating,” lamented the 29-year-old. “After the elimination, I felt so low, but the pressure seemed to dissipate then. I found myself at the bottom of the pack.”
Emma Finucane
Meanwhile at UCI Cycling , a breakthrough performance came from 20-year-old Emma Finucane, hailing from Carmarthen, who had already secured silver and bronze medals in the team sprint. She clinched her inaugural world title in the women’s sprint after triumphing over Germany’s Lea Friedrich in the initial two sprint matches.
“That was quite surreal, to be honest,” expressed Finucane, a victor in four categories at this year’s British National Track Championships. “I tackled each race one by one, and once I reached the final, I was determined to win. Yet, I had to compartmentalize that and focus on the process alongside my coach, Kaarle McCulloch.”
Following her crash in the women’s keirin race, Finucane triumphed in the best-of-three match sprints to seize the world title.
“My objective was to push myself as fast as I could on that final lap and give my all for the last 200 meters. I believe I executed it very well,” she enthused. “Becoming a world champion—it’s hard to believe. I don’t think it will ever truly sink in.”
“I truly desired this victory and invested significant effort into achieving it, working alongside my coach and team in Manchester,” added Finucane, who had also secured a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games. “This is incredibly special, particularly after coming so close in the team sprint.”
As for the men’s keirin final, Jack Carlin failed to match the burst of speed demonstrated by Colombia’s Kevin Quintero, resulting in a fifth-place finish, similar to Will Perrett’s outcome in the points race.
“Lack of success in the Omnium”
Despite Archibald’s lack of success in the Omnium, Stephen Park, British Cycling Performance director, joined those in commending the resilience she displayed throughout these world championships.
“Katie has exhibited remarkable resilience,” Park commended. “She’s faced an exceptionally challenging year.”
Park further conveyed his admiration for the resilience Archibald had demonstrated “in getting up each day, getting back on the bike, resuming training, and being in a position to show up here and give her best.”
“Every member of our team arrived with the hope that regardless of winning or not, she would feel that she’s delivered her utmost performance. Irrespective of race outcomes, everyone here is immensely proud of the journey she’s undertaken.”
“Hopefully, she continues on the path towards Paris and Los Angeles [2024 and 2028 Olympic Games],” Park conveyed. “She possesses an exceptional character, standing out as a performer with an excellent support system around her.”
Having secured the top position in both the elite medal table and the paracycling medal table, Park has every reason to be content with his athletes’ achievements. In the velodrome, British cyclists amassed a total of nine medals, five of which were gold, while paracyclists clinched 30 medals overall, including 18 golds.
Short track event in Glentress Forest.
On Thursday, Tom Pidcock aims to bolster the count in the mountain bike cross country short track event in Glentress Forest. The Olympic champion gains encouragement from the news that Dutch rival Mathieu van der Poel, who clinched the men’s elite road race title on Sunday, won’t be participating.
The new world champion, who collided with the barriers in Glasgow city center en route to securing his rainbow jersey, shared that he is still “enduring some discomfort” due to his crash.
“Because of the rush of adrenaline, I didn’t sense it during the race. However, after crossing the finish line, I immediately recognized the pain from my injuries,” explained Van der Poel.