SCOTLAND’S Katie Archibald can add Commonwealth Games champion to her long list of accolades after winning the women’s individual pursuit in Brisbane on Friday.
Archibald, an Olympic, world and European champion in various disciplines, took her first Commonwealth title with victory over Australia’s Rachel Wiasak in the final.
The 24-year-old won in a time of three minutes 26.088 seconds over the 3,000m distance, having set a new Commonwealth Games record of 3:24.119 seconds in qualifying earlier in the day.
The Commonwealth Games record, previously set by England’s Joanna Rowsell Shand in Glasgow four years ago, fell three times in a blistering qualifying session.
Archibald’s only previous Commonwealth Games medal was a bronze in the points race in Glasgow.
“It means a lot,” Archibald said of her first Commonwealth title. “Especially in the individual pursuit because it’s not an Olympic event.”
Archibald admitted she was surprised to set the record during qualifying.
“I didn’t schedule for that at all. You look at my splits, they were all over the place.
“I come out too fast but then you can’t put the brakes on, you can’t say, ‘This is too much’. You’ve got to control the decline. I still died a death (in the final) but it was better paced.”
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