Katie is Scotland’s golden girl
WELL, that more than justified the hype. Easily lived up to all expectations.
When Katie Archibald was asked to back up her reputation with a Herculean effort, to dig into her reserves and deliver a gold medal-winning comeback, Team Scotland’s track cycling superstar was not found wanting.
On a night when older brother John won Commonwealth Games silver just a year after leaping into the saddle, Katie was crowned individual pursuit champion at the Anna Meares Velodrome.
The success means they are the first brother/sister pair to win medals for Team Scotland at the same Commonwealth Games.
And the 24-year-old Olympic team pursuit champion, grinning from ear to ear after crossing the line ahead of Aussie challenger Rebecca Wiasak, confessed to feeling huge relief at finally laying down a global marker in the prestigious solo event.
Katie, who had set a Games record in qualification, was actually trailing to the local hero two thirds of the way through the 3,000metre race.
But she showed enormous grit to, first, close the gap and then overtake Wiasak, winning by just 0.369 of a second.
Contrasting the focus on her with the more low-key build-up enjoyed by rookie John, Katie said: ‘He’s come in as the underdog, exceeded all expectation — and there he was, guaranteed to walk away with a Commonwealth medal.
‘I felt on the other end of that spectrum. Thank God it wasn’t just all hype!’
Katie has four more events to tackle, on the track and the road, in what she calls ‘the unofficial Commonwealth omnium’.
Four years on from picking up just a bronze in the points race at the Glasgow Games, she showed serious maturity here — not least in shutting out the effect of a raucous crowd roaring for the Aussie favourite.
‘The crowd was going mental with a kilometre to go — which was only bad news for me, really,’ she laughed.
‘But I would definitely rather be chasing than be chased. So it was horrible, those last 500 metres, thinking what might happen. I knew I was up. But I didn’t know if I would be able to keep it.
‘This event is entirely about just busting yourself for the full 3,000metres. That’s why it can so often lead to heartbreak.
‘It means a million different things to me. I’ve not dwelt on it quite yet. Not so much the Commonwealth title but the individual pursuit, it’s an event that I’ve always had a passion for.
‘It’s because it’s timed, because it’s controlled. It gives you landmarks in your life, seeing your time dropping down and dropping down. The bunch races don’t give you that. It’s not the same excitement as a bunch race, of course, but you get that black-and-white marker of achievement. It helps me sleep at night.’
After her own gold, Katie watched from the pen area in the centre of the track as her big brother — who finally caved in to her demands that he take up cycling seriously just 12 months ago — came up just short in the men’s pursuit final, losing out to England’s Charlie Tanfield.
Former swimmer John, who had worked alongside his sister in the family business, said: ‘A year ago, I thought I would be in the living room watching it on TV.
‘My parents booked tickets to come as soon as they knew Katie had qualified. That was long before I’d even considered it. I was going to be sitting at home on the sofa on my own, so I’m glad this has gone the way it has. I could have been sitting at home, going: “If only I could be as good as Katie”.
‘The Commonwealth Games were like a dream. To be here and realise a silver medal, I have to be delighted.
‘Katie has got all the pressure. I come in as a bit of an underdog, and everyone goes: “Oh, you’re Katie’s brother”. ‘I go: “Yeah, that’s me”. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll get away with that.
‘I saw Katie in the heat run and the pressure was on her there. I thought: “She’s really got to do something special here”. And she did. When I watch Katie’s races, it fires me up. We get more nervous watching the other than when we race ourselves.
‘I couldn’t actually hear Katie screaming this time. But there was a lot of screaming going on in my head. The next few days are going to be big. I’ve got the road races and the time trial next week, so I’ve got a lot to focus on short-term.’
The Archibalds excelled on a night of typically high excitement on the track, with the sheer speed and power of the cyclists — competing on bankings so steep they’ve surely been designed to test the limits of all known physical laws — taking the breath away.
If they formed a country of their own, the brother-and-sister pairing from Milngavie would be sitting just outside the top ten on the medal table. With the promise of more to come.
It was perhaps understandable, then, that Katie should declare: ‘The Archibalds aren’t known for parties — but this is going to be the biggest Friday night we’ve had in a while.’