A cycling star from Loughborough College has revealed she is determined to not to be complacent in the approach to Tokyo 2020.
Sophie Thornhill was awarded an MBE for Services to Cycling after smashing the Paralympic record with pilot Helen Scott in Rio with their women’s B 1000 m time trial win. The visually impaired former Sport student scooped her second Paralympic medal with bronze in the B 3000m individual pursuit.
Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott went on to make it a double-double and to earn a standing ovation when they followed their world record-breaking sprint win to then break their own world record and win gold for England in the women’s B&VI 1000m time trial at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia. The pair had already won both events with world records at the world championships only a month before.
“Rio was, without doubt, the highlight of my sporting career. Standing on that top step of the podium was an unbelievable experience, and what we’d gone through in the months before then – losing our world titles and having to re-evaluate where we were as individuals and as a pairing – made it even more special,” says Sophie.
“This time around, we’re hoping to avoid that sort of drama! In the years since Rio, I’ve won seven world and two Commonwealth titles, and the last few years have been probably the most successful of my career.
“However, avoiding the potential complacency that a record like that could bring is absolutely at the forefront of our minds. We know that getting to the top is hard, but staying there is even harder, and Helen and I are working day in, day out to ensure that we do that.”
With the Tokyo Paralympics just around the corner, British Cycling has released a video highlighting Sophie’s career so far: https://vimeo.com/375451830
Pictured: Cycling star and former Loughborough College sport student Sophie Thornhill MBE (right) with pilot Helen Scott