A strong list of 18 cyclists for London 2012 has today been announced by the British Olympic Association.
Victoria Pendleton has been selected for her third Olympic Games in the women’s track cycling team. The 31-year-old will be looking to add to the gold medal she won in the women’s individual sprint discipline at Beijing 2008 and is joined in the sprint team by 21-year-old Jessica Varnish.
“I am very proud and excited to be officially selected as a member of the Team GB track cycling team,” said Pendleton. “London 2012 will be my third Olympic Games and to have the opportunity to compete at a home Olympics is amazing.”
Also selected to the women’s track squad is 19-year-old Laura Trott. The youngest member of the Team GB cycling squad has already tasted international success by winning the team pursuit and the omnium gold at the 2012 World Championships in Melbourne. The omnium, which consists of six events, will be contested for the first time at the Olympic Games.
Away from the track, four-time World Champion Shanaze Reade will compete in the BMX discipline, and will be looking to rectify the disappointment of missing out on a medal when she crashed in the final at Beijing 2008. The 23-year-old showed her Olympic medal credentials by winning the test event held at the Olympic Park BMX Track in August 2011.
Full list of selected female athletes:
Track (Sprint):
Victoria Pendleton
Jessica Varnish
Track (Endurance):
Wendy Houvenaghel
Danielle King
Joanna Rowsell
Laura Trott
BMX:
Shanaze Reade
Cross Country Mountain Biking:
Annie Last
Team GB has a fine Olympic pedigree in cycling, having won a total of 49 Olympic medals to date, including 15 gold, making Great Britain one of the most successful countries in Olympic cycling history. At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Team GB cyclists won an outstanding eight gold medals from a possible 18 to lead the medal table.
Since then, changes made to the Olympic Programme by the International Cycling Federation means it will be more difficult to replicate the unprecedented medal success recorded in Beijing, but British cyclists remain world-leaders and are well placed to deliver success again at London 2012.
The cyclists selected today have won multiple Olympic and World Championship titles, most recently at the 2012 Track World Championships in Melbourne where they secured 13 medals, including six gold.
Also revealed today by British Cycling is the shortlist of men’s and women’s road cyclists from which the five male and four female athletes will be selected to Team GB at a later date. The female riders on the shortlist for Olympic selection are:
Lizzie Armitstead
Nicole Cooke
Katie Colclough
Sharon Laws
Lucy Martin
Emma Pooley
Sportsister,
The Women’s Sports Magazine
