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Olympic silver medal for Cuminestown cyclist Neah Evans


By Kyle Ritchie

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Cuminestown's Team GB cyclist Neah Evans has won a silver medal at the Olympics in Tokyo as part of the women's team pursuit squad.

Evans and her team-mates Katie Archibald, Laura Kenny and Josie Knight faced Germany in the final who broke their own world record to win gold.

In the second day at the Izu Velodrome in the Japanese city the men's sprint team also won silver.

The women’s team pursuit squad broke the world record when they beat the USA in their first round heat earlier in the day, with a time of 4:06.748.

Germany, however, regained the world record they had set on Monday in the very next heat of the 4000m, 16-lap race, setting up a gold medal final ride against the British.

GB rode a strong first lap but the Germans quickly overtook them and eventually won gold, smashing their own world record in the process, with a time of 4:04.249. The USA defeated Canada to win bronze.

Cyclist Neah Evans (second left) was part of the women’s team pursuit squad that won Olympic silver.
Cyclist Neah Evans (second left) was part of the women’s team pursuit squad that won Olympic silver.

Evans said: "It's really special to be here. We're defending champions, there's big expectation for British cycling because we do have such a strong reputation, but there are so many strong nations that came out fighting.

"It wasn't to be this time, but we'll be back in Paris."

Her team-mate Kenny said: "Germany took everyone by surprise. We knew they were going to go fast, just not that fast.”

Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid has congratulated Evans on the silver medal win.

Evans lives on farm near Cuminestown, Turriff, and worked as a veterinary surgeon before becoming a full-time athlete in 2017.

She has been successful in a range of individual and team cycling events at Scottish, British and international level and this was her first appearance at Olympic level.

Evans was chosen to be part of Team GB's cycling squad for the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she was joined by fellow Scot Archibald, Kenny, Knight and Elinor Barker for the endurance races.

Mr Duguid has written to Evans to congratulate her on her success in Tokyo.

He said: “I am delighted for Neah and Team GB in their Olympic success, winning silver at the team pursuit.

“Neah is one of a number of Olympians hailing from Banff and Buchan – including footballer Kim Little from Mintlaw and Paralympic swimmer Connor Morrison from Turriff.

“I’m sure that the whole community will join me in celebrating their achievements and wishing them well.”

In the men’s sprint competition, the GB team of Ryan Owens, Jack Carlin and Jason Kenny faced the Netherlands in the final.

Britain made a fast start but struggled to keep their next two riders together as the Dutch raced away to win, in a new Olympic record time of 41.369.

Kenny’s silver medal has seen him join Sir Bradley Wiggins with eight Olympic medals, the most ever by a Great Britain athlete.


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