Scottish cyclist Ellie Richardson will compete in the Commonwealth Games just six months after believing she was about to lose her life in a car crash.
The 28-year-old from Gairloch had to be airlifted to hospital with head and multiple chest injuries after rolling her car on a motorway back in January.
“I was on the motorway on my way up to a training camp when suddenly I lost control of the car,” she said.
“Whether it was a tyre blowing or the car aquaplaning I don’t know and the couple of witnesses didn’t know either.
“What I do know is I was going about 60, when the car started rolling across three lanes on the motorway, eventually it landed upside down. Things went into slow motion and the car’s roof started crushing in on me it was horrific.
“I was crouching down and could feel the metal going into my head and my ribs cracking with the seatbelt. As it was happening I literally did think it was game over. I just wanted to pass out.”
Help arrived and she was left to consider her narrow escape a period of contemplation that was instrumental in helping her come back stronger than ever.
“I think as an athlete the first thing you think of rather than your own life, and the fact that you’re so glad you’re there for your family, is you think of your sport,” she said.
“And it kind of puts things into perspective a little bit because it does make you realise how lucky you are to be here and I’ve got to make the most of what I have.
“That self-belief made me more focused and definitely helped when I came to my qualifying attempt.
“I really honed in on the 500m time trial and, yes, I think I surprised myself and a few people by riding a personal best after that sort of winter.”
Richardson’s achievement is all the more impressive because she only switched to cycling three years ago after injury put paid to her athletic career.
“I really wanted to go to Delhi 2010 as an athlete but surgery took me out of that really,” she said. “So to be here now in a home Games in a sport that I didn’t even think I would be doing, is amazing.”
Her one regret is that her grandmother Donnella who passed away two years ago won’t be around to see it.
“She was a wonderful lady and we were really close,” said Richardson. “I have her name engraved on to the bike so she will be at the track with me even though she is not there in person.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe