Loughborough College cyclist Sophie Thornhill will be going for gold at her first Paralympic Games.
A four-time world and two-time Commonwealth champion, Sophie is paired with Helen ‘Scottie’ Scott as the 15-strong Rio squad aim to follow on from Great Britain’s sensational performance at London 2012, when the squad finished top of the para-cycling medal table – well ahead of the USA, China and Australia.
The 20 year old Sport student told Loughborough College: “It felt amazing to be confirmed for Rio. I am so proud of the work we have done to get us to this point but even when the results are going your way and it looks as if you’re heading in the right direction you can never be sure.
“So to get that call saying, ‘You’re going’ felt amazing. It’s a dream come true.”
Sophie is joined by her family in Rio - “my mum and dad and brother – and my boyfriend. They’ve supported me so much and it’s great to have them all with me.
“I really am so excited about Rio - to be actually racing in the Paralympics – and to be doing it with my pal Scottie is amazing.
“We have had two solid years training and competing together and having that consistency has seen our riding improve no end.
“All that time spent on a tandem on the road and on the track has seen us become really good friends. This can be hard work so you need a bit of fun – and we certainly have that. We’ve even been on holiday together.
“If things aren’t going our way in Rio me and Helen will have a few laughs and we’ll be there for each other and if we win we will certainly be celebrating.”
As the pair stepped up their pre-Brazil preparations, Sophie eased back on her Loughborough College work so she could focus on training. “Everyone at the College completely understands. A lot of the staff are elite or former elite athletes themselves so they realise the demands you have on you.
“They give me flexibility so I can get the most from my training and from my academic work and that really helps reduce pressure – I can’t thank them enough for their support.
“But Scottie and I set out our plan a long time ago and have been deep into it, getting our heads down and cracking on.
“The set up in Rio will be quite different. Normally we race at 4.00 or 5.00 in the evening but in Brazil it will be 10.00 in the morning. So we’ll do a few training sessions at that time to get used to being off early. I think that will actually suit me better because normally I would be spending all day getting nervous.”
Sophie’s debut at the Para-cycling world championships in 2014 saw her break two world records and win two world titles and for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in the same year she paired up with Helen Scott to represent England – going on to win the gold medal in both the sprint and kilo events.
The year was rounded off with Sophie being named in the top three for the BBC’s Young Sport Personality of the Year Award.
In 2015 Sophie retained her world champion title in both the kilo and sprint events at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Holland, once again with Helen Scott.
Pictured: Loughborough College student Sophie Thornhill (right) with pilot Helen Scott