Team pursuit rider Ciara Horne is one of the lucky competitors heading to Rio in a position every athlete wants to find themselves in – injury free and in the form of their life.
Horne will team up with Olympic champions Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell Shand, as well as fellow Olympic debutants Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald, in the Team GB pursuit squad looking to defend the title won at London 2012.
Trott and Rowsell Shand were part of the trio that triumphed four years ago and Horne is confident the current squad are capable of helping the reigning champions defend their crown.
“Personally, I am the strongest I have ever been on the bike, and that’s quite a place to be, just days away from the Olympic Games, that’s pretty awesome,” said the 26-year-old.
“Most athletes would love to be in that position.
“There are a lot of athletes who suffer illness or injury right before the games and I really feel for them, so for us to be in such good form is pretty awesome.”
Horne was part of the squad that won European gold last October, but experienced disappointment at March’s home World Championships after a ragged qualification ride left them out of gold medal contention.
The team bounced back though, claiming the bronze medal in a time would have won them gold, should they have qualified for the final showdown.
That was Horne’s first medal on the world stage and the Wales international rider said that result has given them belief heading into next week’s racing.
“We’re the British record holders now, plus it showed our strength of character,” said the former University of Birmingham student.
“We were all really disappointed because we knew we are so much better than that bad performance.
“Every time we go onto the start line it’s about being the best we can be and then as a team, what can we do together.
“For us it was disappointing because we knew we could go a lot quicker than that first round, and keep the team together, as we demonstrated in the bronze-winning ride.”
Sportsbeat 2016