Cyclist Elinor Barker Wins Silver Despite Being Left Out Of Squad For Olympic Final

By Tom Prosser

Elinor Barker’s bid for another Olympic gold medal ended in disappointment as she found herself left out of the squad that took silver medals behind Germany in the women’s cycling team pursuit.

The Welsh rider was looking to repeat her gold medal triumph of Rio in 2016, but team GB coaches chose to replace Barker with Neah Evans for the final against the Germans.

Barker had played her part in taking GB to the final as second fastest qualifiers behind Germany, but was then replaced by Scot Evans for the gold medal showdown.

Despite being left out of the team for the final, the 26-year-old will still be awarded a silver medal for her role in the qualifying rounds.

But only the cyclists who race in the final are able to receive their medals on the podium.

@elinorbarker MY hero! Rider 5 in that team, a massive part! This human carried me through my hardest days, regardless of what she had going on and for that I’ll be forever grateful! She showed me how to keep going! The perfect role model for anyone! I am so proud of you El❤️

— lusia steele (@lusia_steele) August 3, 2021

Team GB went on to win the heat against USA, beating the Americans by less than one second with a time of 4:06.748.

The team faced Germany in the final, with Germany taking home the gold and setting a new world record of 4:04.242.

Six-times Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy – now a pundit for BBC television – said: “The coaches will have looked at the data and decided to leave Elinor out.

“That’s just what happens sometimes. You look at the times and decide to make a change for the benefit of the team.”

Elinor Barker (right) in action at the 2020 Olympics. Pic: Getty Images.

The Maindy Flyer’s absence from the final would have come as a surprise to many as she has cemented her place as one of the world’s very best track cyclists.

Barker has won five world titles – including three individual golds which have all come since Rio.

Speaking before the games, victory in the team pursuit was clearly Barker’s target this summer.

Barker said: “This has been five years in the making and the extra year has felt like the longest of all the years.

“So I think a gold medal would probably be even more special this time around.”