Cyclist Katie Archibald back with a bang

Five-time world champion Katie Archibald has returned to the velodrome, securing a gold medal in the Women’s Team Pursuit World Championships.

Anthony Morton, a cycling coach from the Midlands, praised Archibald for her performance last night.

Morton said: “Katie Archibald’s strength as a cyclist is not just in her power on the bike but in her relentless drive, and dedication. Her determination fuels her success, and her resilience makes her a vital force on any team.”

The women’s team made up of Katie Archibald, Megan Barker, Josie Knight and Anna Morris beat the German riders with a time of 45.949s, while they also took gold at the Olympics in Paris this year.

Archibald was unable to compete in Paris due to a broken leg.

The cyclist has dealt with lots of injuries recently alongside the broken leg including back fracture, broken collarbone and even two sprained ankles after being hit by a car in 2022.

Archibald told the BBC: “I just really wanted to get back on my bike, back to the routine, back to that freedom of doing what you’re good at.”

The 30-year-old has faced her fair share of adversities. Her partner, fellow cyclist Rab Wardell, died in his sleep in 2022.

Archibald said: “This [injury] is nowhere close to that kind of pain, that’s still agony. Missing Paris could not touch the sides on that.”

Morton has followed Archibald’s recovery journey and saw her compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where GB lost out to Germany, claiming the silver medal.

Morton said: “She’s got a backbone like no other, not many athletes have gone through the adversities and setbacks Katie has had too, I’m just proud to call her British.”

Speaking out on her Instagram five days ago, Archibald said that this World Championships “is the last year that men and women will race different distances in any timed events at track worlds”.

In 2025 the women’s time trial will move from 500m to 1000m and the individual pursuits will move from 3km to 4km, matching the distances the men cover.

Morton said: “We’re not just racing further; we’re setting a new standard for what women can achieve, which should have been set a while back.”