British track rider Victoria Williamson has announced she will switch from cycling to bobsleigh, after completing her first training camp with the GB bobsleigh team.
Williamson emerged in 2011 after enrolling in the Olympic Development Programme in 2008, having previously switched from athletics to cycling.
Her best result came in 2013 at the Track World Championships in Minsk, Belarus, where she partnered with Becky James to win a bronze medal in the team sprint.
Disaster struck in January 2016 when Williamson crashed in the Omnium sprint race at the Six Days of Rotterdam. She suffered a broken neck and back, as well as dislocating her pelvis and slipping a disc in her neck.
>>> MPCC urge UCI to improve testing to combat ‘mafia’-esque blood doping
Williamson was left with a loss of feeling in her left leg after the crash due to a trapped nerve, eventually making her return to racing three years later in 2019.
Now 25, she competed in the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong and also qualified for the Track World Championships.
Speaking about her switch, Williamson said: "Cycling has been a big part of my life since I was a teenager back when I came through the Girls4Gold talent identification programme. In a way I’m sad to be moving on from it but equally I’m excited about what could happen in my bobsleigh career.
She added that the crash in 2016 has made it difficult for her to return to her previous form on the bike, but thanked British Cycling for funding and supporting her rehabilitation.
"My crash in 2016 changed my life, and although I would say it has inhibited my ability to excel to the top of the sport again, my athletic capability has still allowed me to continue in elite sport. I couldn’t have got through it without the support I received from British Cycling who funded my rehab and supported my return - I will always be thankful."
The next Winter Olympic Games will take place in Beijing, China, in February 2022.
-
-
Police catch close-pass drivers by joining group ride, and upload to Strava
Sheffield North West Neighbourhood Police caught close-pass drivers with help from cycling volunteers
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Ethan Hayter disappointed to surrender Tour of Britain title on final day
Wout Van Aert secured victory away from Hayter with his stage win in Aberdeen
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Rapha and British Cycling team up to create 'City Academies' diversity fund
This new initiative is said to be integral to British Cycling's push to make the sport more inclusive
By Jonny Long •
-
British cycling and its biggest riders taking on the Government is a major deal
Britons can only spend three months within any six month period in an EU country
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
-
New British Cycling campaign hopes to reinvigorate grassroots bike racing
The national governing body says that millions of adults are ready to start racing
By Alex Ballinger •
-
European Track Championships cancelled after ‘hijacking’ of Ryanair flight in Belarus
The European Championships were the last major event before the Tokyo Olympics
By Alex Ballinger •
-
British Cycling concerned about ‘substantial breach of privacy’ over Dame Sarah Storey’s backdated TUE for salbutamol
The governing body said it is worried about how the revelation could impact athletes who require medical treatment
By Alex Ballinger •
-
British Cycling joins social media boycott to protest online abuse towards athletes
British Cycling will join the upcoming social media boycott to protest the online abuse athletes face.
By Alex Ballinger •
-
WADA investigating UK Anti-Doping after allegedly allowing British Cycling to conduct own drug inquest
After a 2010 sample from a prominent rider returned trace amounts of the steroid nandralone, it is alleged UKAD allowed British Cycling to conduct their own private investigation into the matter
By Jonny Long •
-
Richard Freeman permanently struck off over testosterone delivery
Richard Freeman has been permanently struck off after ordering a testosterone package delivered to British Cycling headquarters in 2011.
By Alex Ballinger •
