After a golden first week of the Paris Olympics, Team GB will be hopeful of adding to their medal haul when the track cycling starts on Monday, August 5.
GB have been the dominant track team at recent Olympics, winning seven gold medals at both Beijing 2008 and London 2012 as well as six at Rio 2016.
However, two-time gold medallist Jo Roswell believes there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic as the track cyclists begin their pursuit of medals on Monday in the women’s team sprint.
“The women’s team sprint is really interesting from a GB perspective,” said Rowsell on Eurosport.
“In Tokyo we didn’t qualify a team and then we didn’t qualify for Rio. It first came into the Games in London but we had a disqualification, so we have not had a good run of luck.
“Also at this year’s Games it is the first time the event is the same as the men as a three-rider event – it has been a two-rider event at the previous Games – and GB have not just qualified, they are favourites for a medal and potentially if everything comes together the gold.
“I am so excited, we have such talent in our team and a real mix of youth and experience.
“Our rider in the P1 position is Katy Marchand, it’s her third Olympic Games, she became a mum after Tokyo and has made a return and is in flying form, I’m really excited to see her in action.
“We then have Sophie Capewell in P2, she’s had a really tough couple of years where she lost her father, he was a Paralympic cyclist at the 1996 and 2000 Games, and she has said being selected for Team GB makes her feel closer to her father.
“Emma Finucane, the youngest member of the team, has potentially three golds she is aiming for this week, she has been delivering whenever it matters.
“They will have tough competition from the German team, the current world champions, and the Chinese team, who broke the world record at the end of June. It’s going to be very tough for those medals.”
Team GB’s Emma Finucane will be competing in three events on her Olympic debut.
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“Three events, three potential gold medals,” said Rowsell.
“It’s going to be tough because everybody brings their A-game for the Olympics, but I have heard some really good things from inside the GB camp about Emma.
“GB got a silver medal in the team sprint at the World Championships last year. She also has the keirin which she has won medals at the European Championships, and the individual sprint, and she is the reigning world champion and as part of that you qualify with a flying 200m and she set the sea-level best time for that last year. There’s talk she could she break the world this year because she is in such amazing form.”
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Source link : https://www.eurosport.com/cycling-track/olympic-games-paris-2024/2024/track-cycling-olympics-paris-team-gb-katy-marchand-emma-finucane-sophie-capewell-medals-jo-roswell_sto20025662/story.shtml
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Publish date : 2024-08-05 20:05:54
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