EMILY NELSON

Nelson’s route to this year’s Track Worlds was far from straightforward. A heavy crash in December 2017 left her with concussion and as a result she struggled to do even mundane tasks without suffering headaches.

After a period of rest and recuperation, she made it to Apeldoorn. There she slotted into the TP line up for qualifying, and again for the final where the team finished with a silver —Nelson’s first senior Worlds medal. She then set a PB in the individual pursuit which acted as a nice warm-up for the Madison, where Nelson and Archibald bossed it, finishing well clear of a strong Dutch duo with an average race speed of 51.8kph. Only 5.2kph slower than the men’s race.