Archibald leads golden Euro Champs charge
Buoyant Brits show strength across the boards, writes Tom Thewlis
Katie Archibald led the British challenge at the European Championships over the weekend with a perfect record across three events. The Scot, making her return to international competition since finishing runner-up in the Track Champions League in December, was first part of the winning team pursuit squad alongside Elinor Barker, Neah Evans, Anna Morris and Josie Knight. Then she won all four races in the omnium the next day before teaming up with Barker on Sunday for a dominant Madison win.
GB finished second in the overall medal table with four golds, Ollie Wood having won the scratch race too, behind Germany which had seven, powered by a very strong women’s sprint squad.
Archibald said: “I’ve only missed one Europeans in my career, it’s the first thing I wore a GB jersey for. I was selected in 2013 to ride with El for the first time, and I’ve only missed once since then, which was last year. It’ll now be my 10th season of having a European jersey and I’m proud every time I get to do that.”
Barker, who was returning to international competition after some time off to give birth to her son, Nico, added: “After team pursuit Katie said this is the day that we get to do the thing that we’re one of the best in the world at. We don’t get to do it very often, so let’s just go and enjoy it.
“For me it’s my first Madison for a really long time. I used to do it all the time and maybe forgot quite how special it is, and it’s also a privilege to get to ride with somebody like Katie. What’s not to enjoy?”
“We get to do the thing we’re one of the best in the world at”
The biggest British break-out performance was that of recently crowned four time national champion Emma Finucane, who came second in the keirin behind the world champion Lea Friedrich to confirm that the 20-year-old is among the world’s elite.
She said: “At one point I was thinking I was being really patient but then I just gave it everything to the finish line and to come away with second – I honestly can’t believe it.
“I had Lea’s wheel, the world champion, and I thought just stick on that, and then I looked up and thought, ‘I’ve just come second.’ I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”