Brilliant Boothman claims maiden individual title, as Finucane and Richardson bag sprint honours on the last day at Lloyds National Track Championships
Sunday 22 February 2026 Press Release, Image Credit SWPix.com
Erin Boothman became one of the youngest ever solo national champions, taking top spot in a dramatic women’s points race on a frantic final day of action at the Lloyds National Track Championships.
Olympic medallists Emma Finucane and Matthew Richardson took the women’s sprint and men’s keirin titles respectively, while Jody Cundy, Rebecca Newark and Jacob Smith took the mixed team sprint title, and Ben Marsh was crowned men’s point champion.
Women’s Elimination
Erin Boothman secured her first solo national title in thrilling fashion as she won a spectacular elimination race ahead of pre-race favourites Anna Morris and Katie Archibald.
Boothman, just 18 years old, raced almost to perfection for the duration, staying at the head of the pack to avoid any scares, looking cool under pressure throughout but then let her emotions pour out as she headed into the home straight with a clear advantage, celebrating wildly as she crossed the line.
Morris came back in incredible fashion to finish second following a large crash just past the midway stage of the race, but was no match for Boothman in the final sprint, the incident perhaps taking a toll. Archibald meanwhile was third, fading towards the final laps.
Speaking at the podium, Boothman said:
“I think it’s super special, it’s my first year stepping up to the senior ranks, so winning is not something you expect to do. I know I had okay form from the IP but in the elimination race, anything can happen, so once you finally finish and you know you’ve won, it’s so special and the emotions just come out.
“When Anna pinned me at the top with a lap to go I really thought she had me, I didn’t know how I would get out of that situation, but we came down with three quarters to go and she hadn’t gone yet, so I thought I may as well go, I almost couldn’t believe I got the gap.”
Women’s Sprint
Adorning the European bands, Emma Finucane showed her quality as she dominated her gold medal match against Iona Moir to reclaim the national title.
Following on from a superb gold in the team sprint and keirin, the Welsh athlete made it three from three with a commanding display over the best of Britain in the sprints. She had to be on her A game all day, qualifying fastest in the morning qualifiers, before beating Edmund over three races in the semi-finals. In the gold medal ride, she was utterly dominant winning 2-0 to make her way back to the top of the podium for the last time at these Championships.
The bronze medal went to Rhian Edmunds after a comfortable 2-0 win over Rhianna Parris-Smith in their match up. Races one and two followed a similar pattern with Edmund swooping down on the final lap and stagnating any fight backs from her opponent to earn her place on the podium.
On collecting her third gold medal of the week, Finucane said:
“It was really good, it’s always really tough to race your teammates. Sometimes they do really tactical things or maybe you think it’ll be a bit easier than it actually is. It’s been a long few days and I’m really excited to get my third jersey of the championships. For me, I’m really motivated and determined to win and win well. I always enjoy racing here and I’m really proud of it.”
Men’s Keirin
Matthew Richardson defended his keirin title with aplomb after an exhibition performance in the men’s final, going early with two laps to go and holding on to take the final title of the Championships.
The reigning champion had earlier won his semi-final with ease, and it was much more of the same in the final as he moved out of the group with two laps remaining to open up a huge margin before cruising away to his third national title of the event.
Hamish Turnbull held off a spirited attack by William Munday to round off the podium places. Semi-final two winner Marcus Hiley withdrew from the final after a crash just after the finish line in that semi.
A delighted Richardson said:
“It’s three from three here, and six from six this year, so I am very happy. My plan was to get out of trouble, get ahead, and don’t look back, so making that move was quite a display of speed.
“National Championships is always really fun to race in front of the crowds here, and my results here are really encouraging as we move towards LA.”
Men’s Points Race
Ben Marsh produced one of the shocks of the event, taking an unexpected national champion title in thrilling style, amidst the chaos of a fast-paced and enthralling race.
From the very start, a group consisting of Marsh, Will Roberts, Leon Atkins and Will Salter looked to lay down a marker, aiming to gain a lap as quick as possible, which they achieved just after they secured the second set of sprint points.
After the third lap, a breakaway formed that would set the course of the race, consisting of Matt Bostock, Charlie Tanfield, Ben Wiggins and Oliver Wood. Achieving the points just after the fifth sprint, Tanfield and Wiggins would go on to achieve another lap, with Marsh and Perrett also doing the double shortly after.
With an already healthy lead after his early heroics, Marsh was able to hold on and top the points table for his first national champion jersey. Tanfield finished in second, while Wiggins came home with the bronze.
Speaking after his win, Marsh said:
“Its been a pretty emotional last hour. I just raced almost without thinking. I come into events like this with a plan so I guess this time, coming in without one, actually helped. I just knew I had to get ahead before riders like Perrett and Wiggins, the engines, had a chance to get too far ahead and I just about did that.”
Mixed Team Sprint
The Trio, featuring Jody Cundy, Rebecca Newark and Jacob Smith took top spot in the mixed team sprint, with Newark and Smith retaining their national champion jersey.
Coming in as the fastest qualifiers, The Trio capitalised on some bad luck falling on End-Enduro, consisting of Archie Atkinson, Crystal Lane-Wright and Matthew Robertson to race across the line uncontested after an issue on the lead off saw Robertson unclip after a couple of pedal strokes.
A tight bronze medal match saw More Mods than Watts, consisting of Callum Deboys, Elisabeth Simpson and Christopher Scott clinch the final podium position.
Speaking after their win, The Trio said:
“The positives we can take is it’s the first time we rode together this morning, so in terms of performance and how we did, we did a really good job.”
Official Results on BC Website
List of National Champions on Day four:
Women’s Points Race
Gold – Erin Boothman
Silver – Anna Morris
Bronze – Katie Archibald
Women’s Sprint
Gold – Emma Finucane
Silver – Iona Moir
Bronze – Rhian Edmunds
Men’s Keirin
Gold – Matthew Richardson
Silver – Hamish Turnbull
Bronze – William Munday
Mixed Team Sprint
Gold – Jody Cundy, Rebecca Newark and Jacob Smith
Silver – Archie Atkinson, Crystal Lane-Wright and Matthew Robertson
Bronze –
Men’s Points Race
Gold – Ben Marsh
Silver – Charlie Tanfield
Bronze – Ben Wiggins
Finucane among those to star on sensational Saturday at the Lloyds National Track Championships
Saturday 21 Feb 2026 Press Release.
Emma Finucane produced a commanding display to win the women’s keirin on an action-packed day three of the Lloyds National Track Championships in Manchester.
Matthew Richardson won his second title of the week alongside Marcus Hiley and Harry Radford in the men’s team sprint, while Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl bagged title number three of the week in a dramatic women’s B individual pursuit. Anna Morris earned a spot on the top rostrum in the women’s points race, while Crystal Lane-Wright also grabbed another national title in the inaugural C1-5 scratch race. Finlay Graham and Alex Jones took para kilo titles, while Matt Bostock was crowned the men’s elimination champion.
Women’s Keirin
In the final event of the day, Emma Finucane was impeccable on her way to the gold, winning in style as she dominated for the entire race, building up a lengthy gap ahead of her peers. The battle for the remaining podium places was intense, but Lowri Thomas narrowly pipped last year’s national champion, Lauren Bell, to take silver as Bell finished with bronze.
Speaking after the win, Finucane said:
“I raced in the Keirin last year and got silver, so I’m really happy about how this Keirin went, to win it. It was a massive group of girls who raced really well, and really fast, so I am really proud of this one.
“I worked pretty hard this season, starting with the European championships, and I just carried on my momentum from there, so I am really proud.”
Women’s Points
Anna Morris (Private Member) stormed to the Points race title in dominant fashion, sealing victory by more than ten points over women’s individual pursuit Josie Knight (DAS-Hutchinson), while defending champion Katie Archibald (dooleys cycles) was edged into bronze on the final lap sprint.
After a reserved first ten laps, the attacks began to flow, though none managed to gain a lap. Morris herself was involved in chasing down most of the attempted escapees, while Archibald banked sprint lap points and tried to lap the field multiple times.
The race’s decisive move came at the halfway point, when Morris, Archibald, Knight, Jess Roberts (Spectra Racing) and Phoebe Taylor (Shibden Apex RT) gained a lap and 20 points each, with the medallists all holding back smartly to catch the pack on a sprint lap for extra bonus points.
From there, Morris and Archibald traded attacks, but it was the former who would secure second on the final lap to seal the title, and her second victory of the week following the Scratch on Thursday. Knight, level on points with Archibald going into the final lap, managed to sneak fourth place in the final sprint to take silver ahead of the Scottish rider.
Men’s Elimination
Matt Bostock (Rapha CC) secured victory in an entertaining elimination race to make it two national champion jerseys over the weekend so far.
With a high-class field qualifying for the final, the racing was hectic from the gun but all the pre-race favourites avoided an early elimination as the competition came closer to the wire.
This continued to be the case within the final laps as the remaining trio was of the highest calibre, with Bostock, national individual pursuit champion Charlie Tanfield (Private Member) and William Tidball (Velo Club illefranche Beaujolais).
There was confusion between the elimination for bronze medal between Tanfield and Tidball, on which Bostock capitalised to ease away for a simple victory in the end, with Tidball receiving silver on the podium and Tanfield bronze.
Speaking after his win, Bostock said:
“It’s mint, especially since the elimination is kind of a gamble. It’s always much trickier to win than other races so it feels good. I always find it’s easier to take things race by race, you just do your best in each and then see what happens.”
Women’s B Individual Pursuit
Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl (Private Member) completed the hat-trick, securing their third national championship title in the individual pursuit.
In an electric final, facing off against Georgina Bullen and Miriam Jessett (Born to Bike), the world champion duo racing in the rainbow stripes, produced a textbook ride to overtake their rivals within the second half of the pursuit.
In the bronze medal match, Amelia Robertson and Kate Richardson set out from the gates flying, managing to catch Ella Briant and Georgina Oakley at the halfway point.
Speaking after a third gold of the week, Holl said:
“It has been a sick weekend, and it has been really nice to put out some really good rides. For me, the highlight has been riding here in a pretty packed velodrome. We are world champions right now and riding at home, which is not something you get to do all the time, so that has been super cool.”
Unwin added: “From the rides we have done this weekend, we just want to build on them in the competitions going forward, as the worlds are later this year, so this is a good starting point for us.”
Men’s Team Sprint
Team Inspired A consisting of Matthew Richardson, Marcus Hiley and Harry Radford came from a second down with a lap to go to seal gold in the men’s team sprint final over Ed Lowe, Hamish Turnbull and Hayden Norris of Team Inspired B.
Team Inspired A had dominated qualifying on their way to the final and lined up against their GBCT teammates in the final looking to make it a perfect run to the national title, as both teams started strong with Radford and Lowe barely separable after the opening lap.
An inspired turn from Turnbull for Team Inspired B saw them earn a slender lead going into the final lap, but an inevitable Matthew Richardson proved himself once again to simply be on another level and his turn of speed saw the pendulum swing back towards Team A, with Richardson ensuring the final gap between the teams was over one second by the finish line.
In the bronze medal race, Team Inspired C of Lyall Craig, Joe Truman, Archie Gill and Oliver Pettifer took the final place on the podium against Team Alba of Pete Mitchell, Niall Monks, Anthony Young & Luthias Arthur.
Women’s C1-5 Scratch
Crystal Lane-Wright (Private Member) became the first national women’s C Scratch champion, securing her second national title of the weekend, following her win in the women’s C5 Elimination final on Thursday.
Lane-Wright looked more than comfortable in the pack through the majority of the 10-kilometre competition, before she, along with Rebecca Newark (Jadan Glasdon pb Vive le Velo) and Morgan Newberry (Loughborough Lightning), accelerated off the front with just over half the race distance covered.
Newark and Lane-Wright continued to build the pace, with Newberry unable to hold on with two laps remaining. Lane-Wright remained cool under pressure on Newark’s wheel as the pair took the bell, powering over the top on the final bend to cruise across the line in first place.
Speaking after the podium, Lane-Wright said:
“I’m really pleased, it’s the first time we’ve done the scratch race at National level in the para category, so it feels great to be first.
“You’re racing with so many different abilities, you don’t know where someone is at until you get on the line. The race was a lot less predictable, but it worked out in the end for me.”
MC C1-3 Time Trial
Finlay Graham blitzed his way to victory in the Men’s C1-3 time trial to win what was his third gold of the week with a time of 1:08.546. Matthew Robertson took home the silver after only being 1.210s behind the winner, with Callum Deboys sweeping up the bronze medal.
After the podium, Graham said:
“It felt really good. The Kilo is always a really tough race from the start, and it always hurts, but it’s obviously nice to come away with the national title, and it finishes off a good weekend.
“I have not done much track stuff, but, obviously winning three events, I could not have asked for any better. There is always tough competition as the national jersey is what everyone wants to win, and to come away with three of them feels so good.”
Men’s C 4-5 Time Trial
The Men’s Para C4-5 time trials were fiercely contested, with Alex Jones taking home the national jersey and the gold medal with a time of 1:06.221. There was very little in it between himself and silver medallist Jody Cundy, who recorded a time just 0.243s behind the eventual winner.
The battle for bronze was equally as competitive but it was Sebastien Tyrie sealing the deal for third with a time of 1:09.4688.
Speaking after the podium, Jones said:
“ It is pretty overwhelming as I did not expect that and I am just lost for words right now. I just wanted to enjoy myself and just do the best I could have done, and leave it all out there.”
Men’s B Sprint
Frederick Ireland and Aaron Pope (Private Member) came home with an unexpected gold medal in the men’s para B sprint over Tim Caldwell and Benedict Elliot (Weaver Valley CC).
James Ball and Matthew Rotherham came into the event as favourites, with Ball donning the world champion jersey he won while piloted by Steffan Lloyd. However, with Rotherham stepping out due to illness, the door opened for Caldwell and Elliot to feature in the final. Ireland and Pope seized this opportunity, winning comfortably to secure the striped jersey.
Speaking after their win, Pope said:
“We only got on the tandem for the first time together this week so a pretty good start.”
Ireland continued: “I think my pilot Aaron is just absolutely legendary as he is very clear in his communication when we are on the bike together, and we are very comfortable. We can feel what each other are doing, but I would like to briefly thank all my coaches as well. They have been wonderful and also the crowd today has been phenomenal. What an amazing event.”
List of National Champions on Day three:
Women’s Keirin
Gold – Emma Finucane
Silver – Lowri Thomas
Bronze –
Women’s Points
Gold – Anna Morris
Silver – Josie Knight
Bronze – Katie Archibald
Men’s Elimination
Gold – Matt Bostock
Silver – William Tidball
Bronze – Charlie Tanfield
Women’s B Individual Pursuit
Gold – Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl
Silver – Georgina Bullen and Miriam Jessett
Bronze – Amelia Robertson and Kate Richardson
Men’s Team Sprint
Gold – Matthew Richardson, Marcus Hiley and Harry Radford
Silver – Ed Lowe, Hamish Turnbull and Hayden Norris
Bronze – Lyall Craig, Joe Truman, Archie Gill and Oliver Pettifer
Women’s C1-5 Scratch
Gold – Crystal Lane-Wright
Silver – Morgan Newberry
Bronze – Rebecca Newark
MC C1-3 Time Trial
Gold – Finlay Graham
Silver – Matthew Robertson
Bronze – Callum Deboys
Men’s C 4-5 Time Trial
Gold – Alex Jones
Silver – Jody Cundy
Bronze – Sebastien Tyrie
Men’s B Sprint
Gold – Frederick Ireland and Aaron Pope
Silver – Tim Caldwell and Benedict Elliot
Bronze – Lauren Bell
Richardson Reigns and Knight Stuns on Day Two of the Lloyds National Track Championships
Friday 20 Feb 2026 Press Release, Image Credit SWPix.com
A blistering day of track racing saw Matthew Richardson storm to his second national sprint title with trademark control, while Josie Knight delivered a dramatic late charge to edge world champion Anna Morris in a showdown worthy of their titles whilst Matt Bostock lit up the men’s scratch with a bold early attack to seal a statement win. Kadeena Cox was back to her best, sealing a dominant win in the Women’s C4-5 Time-Trial meanwhile Fin Graham and Archie Atkinson both reigned victorious in what is a new, high-stakes Paralympic Games event, the C1-C3 and C4-C5 elimination race.
Men’s Sprint
Matthew Richardson (Team Inspired) won his second national jersey in GB colours after a dominant performance – cruising through knockout rounds without losing a single match, to make the gold medal final. His opponent was teammate Harry Ledingham-Horn who beat Archie Gill (Private Member) in both semifinal rounds, responding to his early attacks but catching him to beat him on the line.
On his win, Richardson said;
“It’s good to win another national jersey. It was a conservative day. I respected my opponents but obviously raced smart as I didn’t want to waste too much energy and line it up if I needed to in the final.
“It wasn’t the hardest day I’ve ever had on a bike but it’s all part of learning. It’s still very special but nothing will quite top the first time, as last year was obviously really special.”
Women’s Individual Pursuit
Josie Knight (DAS Hutchinson) set the pace in the women’s individual pursuit with the fastest qualifying time, edging just 0.141 seconds ahead of world and national champion Anna Morris (Private Member) to set up a highly anticipated final. Erin Boothman (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Jessica Roberts (Spectra Racing) secured the remaining medal spots, with Boothman later claiming bronze. In the gold medal showdown, Morris opened strongly and built an early lead, but Knight mounted a fierce late charge, overturning the gap in the final laps to snatch victory on the line and deny Morris a successful title defence.
Speaking about a strong final, Knight said:
“Honestly I think it’s an absolute privilege to race Anna [Morris]. She pushes you on to be better, you’re up against a world champion and that comes with some pedigree. You want to beat the best and that’s her, I’m happy that I’ve done that today.”
Women’s C4-5 Time-Trial
Kadeena Cox added to her medal haul with a dominant win, showcasing new pacing tactics as she adapted to the longer kilo distance.
Last to race, having seen strong times set prior, Kadeena was flawless in her execution, growing from strength to strength as the race went on. A confident race from Crystal Lane-Wright (BCP – Private Member) saw her finish second, while Rebecca Newark (JAD – Jadan Glasdon pb Vive le Velo) finished in third.
Commenting on her race, Cox said:
“I feel like I’m trying to play around with new tactics. I’m used to riding the 500 (m time-trial) and just going all guns blazing, so I tried to taper back the first lap a little bit so I had a bit more on the second and third lap.
On the difference between the 500m and new kilo distance: “It does feel like a massive difference with the new event, I am a ‘sprinter’ sprinter – one lap is probably my best, so it’s a challenge, but also I feel like it’s a challenge like it’s the type of challenge I’ve needed for the past few years.”
List of National Champions on Day two:
Men’s Sprint
Gold – Matthew Richardson
Silver – Harry Ledingham-Horn
Bronze – Oliver Pettifer
Women’s Individual Pursuit
Gold – Josie Knight
Silver – Anna Morris
Bronze – Erin Boothman
Women’s C4-5 Time-Trial
Gold – Kadeena Cox
Silver – Crystal Lane-Wright
Bronze – Rebecca Newark
Women C1-3 Time Trial
Gold – Elizabeth Simpson
Silver – Amelia Cass
Bronze – Emma Warner
Men Para B Individual Pursuit
Gold – Fice-Noyes/ Latham
Silver – McDonald/ Archibald
Bronze – Wilkins/ Duggleby
Men 10k Scratch Race
Gold – Matthew Bostock
Silver – William Roberts
Bronze – Ollie Wood
Women Para B Sprint
Gold – Sophie Unwin/ Jenny Holl
Silver – Bullen/ Mirian Jessett
Bronze – Briant/ Oakley
Women Team Sprint
Gold – Emma Finucane/ Rhianna Parris-Smith/ Lowri Thomas/ Lauren Bell
Silver – Rhian Edmunds/ Iona Moir/ Georgette Rand
Bronze – Madeleine Silcock/ Ellie Stone/ Sylvia Misztal/ Sarah Johnson
Men Para C Elimination Race
Gold – Archie Atkinson
Silver – Findlay Graham
Bronze – William Bjergfelt
Marvellous Morris takes the crown in a scintillating first day of the Lloyds National Track Championships
Thursday 19 Feb 2026 Press Release. Image Credit SWPix.com
Seven champions were crowned on the opening day of the Lloyds National Track Championships at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester.
Anna Morris retained her scratch title with an exceptional ride, while Charlie Tanfield pipped Josh Charlton to the men’s individual pursuit title in a thrilling contest. Global medallists Fin Graham, Archie Atkinson, Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl, James Ball and Matt Rotherham starred in the scratch races and team sprints respectively, while the women’s C Elimination race made its debut appearance at the Championships with Crystal Lane-Wright and Elisabeth Simpson earning the honours for receiving the first gold medals awarded in the event.
Women’s Scratch Race
Global medallist Anna Morris showed her class on her way to retaining her national champion jersey in an entertaining scratch race.
A tactical showcase throughout, Morris found a rhythm in what was a congested bunch of riders, cementing herself in the middle of the pack and ready to pounce.
With five laps to go, a push from Josie Knight was closely followed by Morris, with Abigail Miller, Jenny Holl, Elidh Shaw and Phoebe Taylor all battling hard to maintain ground. As Knight faded, Morris remained strong and rode home to victory.
Holl made up a lot of ground in the final lap to close a gap and secure a well fought silver, while 17-year-old Phoebe Taylor – who is the reigning women’s elimination champion – led the chasing bunch over the line to take a very well deserved bronze.
Speaking after her win, Morris said:
It’s so special to win a national title, we have such a strong field of riders in Britain, so it was a race that could’ve gone any way. Those last few laps were just so chaotic, I saw Josie make a really good move and I just thought I have to commit to this. Then I saw over my shoulder that there was actually such a strong chase behind me, and they looked really strong, I couldn’t let up. I’m not sure where I found it but I just found that bit more.”
Men’s Individual Pursuit
Charlie Tanfield took the scalp of reigning world individual pursuit champion Josh Charlton with a commanding display as he swept to the national title.
Over the opening kilometre there was little to separate the pair, going through 1km with just 0.009s the advantage for Tanfield at that point. Over the next 3km came an utter masterclass from Tanfield who extended the advantage over Charlton with every lap of the track, in the end finishing over four seconds ahead in 4:04.010 to Charlton’s 4:08.815.
In the bronze medal match, Leon Atkins earned his place on the podium with a convincing win over Michael Gill, clocking 4:10.846 to Gill’s 4:16.923.
Speaking after his win, Tanfield said:
“It feels great. I didn’t expect it at all really, I came here with the aim to be competitive and I’m coming home with a jersey and a PB in the IP so I’m really pleased. It’s such a strong field and when I crossed the line I didn’t even know what time I had, but it’s a great feeling and a nice shock.”
Women’s C Elimination
Crystal Lane-Wright (C5) and Elisabeth Simpson (C2) were the maiden winners in the first C Elimination race at the National Track Championships in a thrilling conclusion to events in Manchester on day one.
With two separate classification races ongoing in the same contest, Simpson was the last C2 rider in the race, so pipped Amelia Cass to the silver medal.
Lane-Wright was close to exiting the competition in fourth place, had it not been for a last gasp push for the line on the fourth from last sprint, but she overcame Rebecca Newark to have a shot at the medal places. From there she got stronger, and ultimately seized control in the final sprints, sealing the C5 gold ahead of Morgan Newberry and Hughes.
Speaking after her win, Crystal Lane-Wright said:
“I haven’t raced a national championships in around four years and this is my first since I had my son, so it’s nice to get a win here and get the nerves out of the way. At the beginning it felt so fast, I thought I wasn’t going to keep up with this at all, but then the tactics came in and I just used my experience. I came in here, and I didn’t really have any expectations because I hadn’t done it before, so who knows, maybe next year there will be a bit more on me.”
Mixed B Team Sprint
The ‘Jean Claude Tan Damme’ team of James Ball, Matt Rotherham, Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl were crowned British champions after a dominant performance in the first final of the evening session.
The decorated quartet got out well and opened a lead early, and that gap continued to widen as the race unfolded, taking the gold medal by just under two seconds in a time of 50.760, marginally quicker than their heat earlier in the day. Silver went to the ‘Freddie Said Go’ team of Frederik Ireland, Jack Pearson, Georgina Bullen and Miriam Jessett who clocked 52.537 in the gold medal race, improving by 0.7 seconds in the final.
Speaking after their win, Ball and Rotherham said:
“It feels pretty special, we’ve been here before a few times and it’s always such an amazing experience. (Matt) hasn’t raced for a while so it’s great to go out and get a win, it’s even better when it’s with these.
Adding, Jenny Holl and Sophie Unwin said:
“I think it was really nice to set off these championships with a win, it’s really nice to bring Matt into the team and a fun event to start the year with. It’s only the second time we’ve raced a tandem team sprint together, these guys have raced it a bit more than us so it was really nice to be a part of.
“We’ve got a hard couple of days going forward, but I do love nationals and it’s always a whole lot of fun.”
Men’s C 1-5 Scratch Final
Archie Atkinson blasted his way to another national title after a superbly timed charge for the line on the closing lap. It was a huge effort from the Paralympic medallist throughout the contest who faced tough competition for the gold medal.
Facing compatriot Fin Graham, the two were main players throughout the contest, always at the head of the field making the moves to wind up the pace of the rest of the field. The pair shared sprints off the front over the 40 laps, with Atkinson going first and Graham taking his fair share at the front of the pack. Will Bjergfelt and Xavier Disley were also keeping close tabs on the pair as the race unfolded.
However, as the laps wound down, Atkinson swooped down into prime position at the bell, stealing a march on Graham and the rest of the field to seal the British C4-5 title. Bjergfelt would come through for silver, and while Graham was third across the line overall, he took the C1-3 gold medal.
Joining Atkinson and Bjergfelt on the C4-5 podium was Xavier Disley, while Graham was joined by Charlie Stanton-Stock and Matthew Robertson as the medal winners in the C1-3 category.
Women’s Team Sprint Round 1
Team Inspire A made up of Rhianna Parris-Smith, Lowri Thomas and Emma Finucane delivered a stunning performance in round one of the women’s team sprint as they laid down the gauntlet ahead of the finals on Friday. Their time of 47.077 led the way in the rankings, a second and a half ahead of their nearest opponents.
Men’s 200m Sprint Qualifying
Kickstarting the second session of the day, Matt Richardson did not disappoint as he put in a blistering qualifying time of 9.192 to top the men’s sprint 200m time trial standings and will go into Friday morning’s round of 16 sprint races with confidence. Joe Truman was next quickest with 9.746, while Harry Ledingham-Horn third fastest in 9.791.
List of National Champions on Day one:
Men’s C1-3 Scratch
Gold – Fin Graham
Silver – Charlie Stanton Stock
Bronze – Matthew Robertson
Men’s C4-5 Scratch
Gold – Archie Atkinson
Silver – Will Bjergfelt
Bronze – Xavier Disley
Women’s C2 Elimination
Gold – Elisabeth Simpson
Silver – Amelia Cass
Women’s C5 Elimination
Gold – Crystal Lane-Wright
Silver – Morgan Newberry
Bronze – Elsie Hughes
Mixed Team B Sprint
Gold – Jean Claude Tan-Damme
Silver – Freddie Said Go
Women’s Scratch
Gold – Anna Morris
Silver – Jenny Holl
Bronze – Phoebe Taylor
Men’s Individual Pursuit
Gold – Charlie Tanfield
Silver – Josh Charlton
Bronze – Leon Atkins
