- Elinor Barker and Neah Evans secured Britain’s sixth medal in sport in Paris
- It continued GB’s success in the event after gold in Tokyo three years ago
- They looked doomed to win bronze with one sprint to go, but made a dramatic comeback
Team GB have taken silver in a gruelling women’s cycling race as the medals continue to flow in on the velodrome.
Elinor Barker and Neah Evans secured Britain’s sixth medal in the sport this afternoon in Paris, just one shy of the total number of medals won in Tokyo three years ago.
The duo replaced reigning Olympic champions Katie Archibald (who is injured) and Laura Kenny (who is retired), who won gold in the often chaotic team event in 2021.
They entered the race as strong contenders, having won the format at last year’s World Championships in Glasgow.
And although they took an early lead on the track today, the duo quickly fell away and were soon overtaken by the Italian and Dutch teams. They remained in bronze, but it looked like they still had a mountain to climb to turn the tide.
Team GB have won silver in a gruelling women’s cycling race
Elinor Barker and Neah Evans secured Britain’s seventh medal in the sport
Despite taking an early lead on the cycling circuit today, the duo quickly fell away and were soon overshadowed by the Italian and Dutch teams
But the tide turned and in a thrilling final sprint Barker sped past the Dutch duo to drag Team GB to a silver medal.
The event consists of 120 laps, divided into 12 sprints. In each sprint, riders receive points depending on where they finish.
Five points are awarded to first, three to second, two to third and just one for fourth place, while a whopping 20 points are up for grabs if a team wins with a lap lead.
The last race of the 12 is worth double points and that was ultimately decisive for Barker and Evans.
The British duo got off to a flying start, winning the first race and taking the first five points up for grabs.
But eventual champions Italy quickly made their mark on the race with a win in the second sprint, giving them a comfortable lead.
Barker and Evans were undeterred, however, and the duo, wearing unmistakable fluorescent helmets similar to those worn by Kenny and Archibald three years ago, secured two consecutive second-place finishes. With 80 laps to go, the team now hold an 11-point lead.
The Netherlands then surprised the field by winning a lap just after the halfway point of the race and scoring 20 points, leaving the Great Britain team in second place.
With only 30 laps to go, things went from bad to worse. The Italians sprinted fantastically and took a lap ahead of their opponents, taking the gold medal.
They entered the race as strong contenders, having won the format at the World Championships.
Italy, who never looked back after taking the lead with a 20-point sprint, crossed the finish line first, while the Netherlands dropped to bronze
And with Barker and Evans seemingly out of energy, there was a real risk at that point that they would lose the medals and that rivals from Denmark, the US and New Zealand threatened to steal a podium spot.
Barker then bravely bucked the trend and out of nowhere rode a magical final three-lap race to secure a valuable silver medal for Team GB on the velodrome.
Italy, who took the lead after a 20-point sprint, never looked back, crossed the finish line first, while the Netherlands dropped to bronze.
Five-time Olympic cycling champion Laura Kenny was impressed by the resilience Barker and Evans showed in the thrilling final.
After watching the Team GB pair win silver, Kenny said on BBC One: “That was tough to watch. Kudos to them.”
‘Elinor, at one point at the end I thought, “Oh, if they’re not careful, they won’t get any more medals.”
‘Elinor’s last turn was really incredible and she won silver.’