Wheely great time with Olympic hero
Kids met medal winner Katie Archibald
Olympic champion Katie Archibald visited Motherwell and showed school children the gold medal she won at the recent UCI World Track Cycling World Championships.
She was visiting the town ahead of the Matrix Fitness Women’s Grand Prix and The Tour Series cycling races which take place on Tuesday, May 23.
Katie spoke to 200 pupils from Ladywell, Logans and St Bernadette’s Primary Schools about her career and answered their questions.
“As a child, I liked swimming but then I got interested in cycling and entered my first race at 16 which is quite late to take up a sport competitively,” Katie explained. “Up until then it was just fun but I won my first race and got the taste for winning.
“I started training with Scottish Cycling, two years before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 where I won a bronze medal. That’s the medal I’m most proud of, as it was a home event for me, all my friends and family were there to watch. It shows that if you really want to do something, it’s never too late.”
Katie went on to win gold in the team pursuit at the Rio Olympics in 2016, also setting a new world record. Days before her visit to Motherwell, Katie won gold in the women’s omnium event at the World Championships in Hong Kong.
“What I have learnt most from cycling is perseverance,” Katie told the pupils. “You don’t win every day and I’ve lost more races than I’ve won. You don’t wake up and be the best at a sport, but you can wake up and enjoy it. If you enjoy what you do, it’s far easier to motivate yourself and keep trying when things don’t go as well.
“I’m looking forward to coming back to Motherwell to race on May 23 and I hope you’ll come along to see the racing up close, and give me and my team a cheer.”
North Lanarkshire Council are hosting The Tour Series and Matrix Fitness Grand Prix for the third year in a row. Before the races, school children will have the opportunity to cycle around the 1.2km circuit then Scottish Cycling will hold a number of amateur races.