Cyclist Abby-Mae Parkinson took great pride in her teammates’ performances as she played a key role to help Team GB to two medals in the girl’s road race at the European Youth Olympic Festival.
Fresh from her strong showing in Tuesday’s time trial where she secured an impressive ninth-place finish, Parkinson played the role of lead-out for her teammates on the roads of Utrecht.
Grace Garner was the designated sprinter for the team and she raced to grab bronze while Charlotte Broughton, who had got detached from the British train, had to think quickly to snatch silver.
Parkinson ended up back in the pack in 52nd but safe in the knowledge that her job had been well done.
“It was a fantastic day for Team GB and that means I did my job well,” she said.
“To get silver and bronze is great achievement because these girls are the best in the whole of Europe.
“Charlotte and Grace have got great sprint finishes and they showed that to grab us two medals so I’m really proud of them.
“It all got a bit hectic and we had to think fast because Charlotte got a bit detached, meaning that I had to do an extra long lead-out for Grace.
“Grace did so well to get the bronze and Charlotte got silver as well so it’s a great achievement for the team.”
With the completion of the road race and Tuesday’s time trial, Parkinson’s competitive involvement at the Festival is now over.
But she insists she is still going to enjoy every minute of her experience out in the Netherlands.
“This has been such an amazing week,” she added. “I was really pleased with my performance in the time trial and again in the road race, we have taken our competition very seriously.
“But aside from that the chance to meet other people and make new friends has been amazing.
“Team GB has been such an awesome experience, with everyone across every sport coming together; I have had an amazing team, one of the best weeks of my life.”
© Sportsbeat 2013