Katy Marchant
Katy Marchant

Great Britain name team for Track World Championships


Great Britain will not enter the women's team sprint at April's Track World Championships in Hong Kong.

Jess Varnish and Katy Marchant missed out on Olympic qualification in the two-woman, two-lap event at last year's World Championships in London.

That began a cycle of events which resulted in an independent review into British Cycling's world class performance programme which is still to announce its findings.

Varnish was dropped from the British team last April and alleged discrimination against former technical director Shane Sutton, who denied the specific allegations, but her complaint against him was upheld.

Marchant, who won individual sprint bronze at last August's Olympics, has been selected in a 20-rider British squad for Hong Kong, but is the only female sprinter.

Double Olympic silver medallist Becky James is on a post-Olympic break, Vicky Williamson is continuing her rehabilitation from a serious neck injury and former BMX world champion Shanaze Reade was also not selected. Reade was named in the funded group of track riders last December.

British Cycling head coach Iain Dyer said: "At this moment in time, British Cycling has only one competitive female sprinter with podium potential and that's why only Katy Marchant has been selected. The other female sprinters on the programme are either returning from an extended break after Rio or recovering from injury.

"In conjunction with UK Sport and the #discoveryourpower campaign, British Cycling has identified six young female sprint athletes who have potential to join the programme in the future to bolster the sprint squad."

Olympic champions Jason and Laura Kenny, Ed Clancy, Phil Hindes and Joanna Rowsell-Shand will miss the event, as expected, on extended post-Rio breaks.

Ten riders are in line to make their World Championship debuts, while Olympic gold medallists Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Steven Burke and Callum Skinner add experience to the group.

Jason Kenny, who took his tally to six Olympic golds following three golds in Rio last summer, and his wife Laura announced last month they were expecting the birth of their first child, having married in September last year.

It was anticipated that Jason Kenny would miss the event, which runs from April 12 to 16. It is the first time since before the 2008 Olympics that the Bolton rider, 29 this month, has had such a long break.

Dyer said: "The team is made up of a good mix of experienced and developing riders across all the disciplines.

"Throughout the earlier World Cups and at the UEC European Track Championships last year, there was a good opportunity to bring some new riders into the front line. They gave a really good account of themselves and that's reflected in the selections we have made.

"I am looking forward to seeing them step up into world championship level competition.

"It is also great to have some of our Olympians in the squad. This year's worlds will allow them to race different events which were not possible in previous years due to the focus on the Olympic events.

"This is particularly true for the endurance riders who can broaden their experience in the new format omnium plus the Madison, which both have the potential to feature in the Tokyo 2020 track cycling programme.

"It is a great experience for our younger riders to make their debut performances alongside such established athletes and I am sure they will learn a lot from this opportunity."

Great Britain Cycling Team for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong, April 12 to 16:

Women's Endurance: Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Ellie Dickinson, Neah Evans, Emily Kay, Manon Lloyd, Emily Nelson

Men's Endurance: Matt Bostock, Steven Burke, Kian Emadi, Chris Latham, Mark Stewart, Andy Tennant, Oliver Wood

Sprint: Jack Carlin, Katy Marchant, Lewis Oliva, Ryan Owens, Callum Skinner, Joe Truman

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