Double delight
GOLDEN girl Sophie Thornhill is turning her attentions to Rio 2016 after two victories at the Commonwealth Games.
The 18-year-old Poynton-based paracyclist and her pilot Helen Scott followed up victory in the B2 sprint with another rousing performance at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.
Once again, Thornhill and Scott nudged Scottish favourites Aileen McGlynn and Louise Haston into silver with a time of 1min 0.87sec.
Thornhill and Scott, racing last and with the time to beat staring down at them from the big screen, came out with a bang, gaining a second inside just two time-spilts.
They had a commanding lead of 1.455sec by the halfway stage, making the second 500m a case of mere preservation.
They ended up 1.584 in front of the Scottish duo but were given an appreciative roar by the Glaswegian crowd.
Thornhill was ready to celebrate, having enjoyed her experience at her first able-bodied Games, saying: “To come away with the gold and that time, I can’t believe it.
“There is a bottle of champagne waiting for us up in our room so we will pop that open and have a few glasses and just enjoy it. It is crazy – our World Championship didn’t get anywhere near as much coverage as this.
“For everyone to give us the same recognition as the able-bodied guys is amazing. This environment is so exciting and I can’t wait for Rio now.”
Thornhill and Scott silenced a partisan home crowd rooting for Scot McGlynn by taking the three-race series without the need for a decider.
Thornhill’s latest suc- cess follows two gold medals and two world records at this year’s Para World Championships.
“After winning a couple of national titles a few years ago I thought I really want to do this more and more,” said a delighted Thornhill. “It’s been a fantastic year so far and I can’t wait to do the Kilo and, who knows, finish off with another gold medal.
“I think the crowd just wanted to see a good race. The whole day they just cheered when someone overtook. It’s great the crowd are getting behind everyone. We are a home nation after all so I’m sure they’re not too sad about us winning.”