Great Britain qualifies full track cycling squad for Paris Olympics
Team GB will now select up to 16 riders to compete across the sprint and endurance events
![Team GB women's sprint squad of Emma Finucane, Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EcNSrxVuzDaVrFWTZuLHEg-415-80.jpg)
Great Britain has qualified a full track cycling squad for the Paris Olympics this summer.
The final qualification rankings were confirmed on Tuesday by the UCI, with GB meeting the quota criteria in every event.
As a result, 14 British riders, seven per gender, will travel to Paris, France in August to compete at the Games. The squad will also be allowed to pull in one male and one female athlete from another cycling discipline, such as road, mountain bike or BMX, meaning up to 16 athletes will ride on the track.
It is the first time GB will be present in every track event since London 2012, having failed to meet the qualification requirements for the women's team sprint at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
With no more major track competitions remaining before the Olympics, the GB coaches will now select the riders to compete in Paris. The full squad, containing additional reserve riders, is expected to be announced near the end of June.
There are six track cycling medal events at the Olympics for both the men and women: three sprint events (team sprint, individual sprint and keirin) and three endurance events (team pursuit, Madison and Omnium).
The qualification criteria drew on points gathered at the 2023 UCI Track World Championships, the last two Continental Championships, and the best two results from UCI Nations Cup rounds in 2023 and 2024.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
To qualify in the sprint events, GB had to rank in the top eight countries in the team sprint. The women's squad, who won the opening two Nations Cup rounds this year, qualified second, behind the world champions Germany. The men's squad qualified fifth.
Two of the three team sprint riders in each gender will be selected for the individual sprint and keirin.
The men's team pursuit squad won the European title in January.
In the endurance events, GB had to qualify among the top 10 countries in the team pursuit, granting them places in the Madison and Omnium as well.
The men's team pursuit squad, having crashed out of last year’s World Championships, qualified seventh, thanks to gold medals at the European Championships and two of this year's Nations Cups. The women's team pursuit squad had a more assured qualifying period, ranking second overall, behind New Zealand.
The UCI will now confirm the final quota places in writing to each of the countries. The full Olympic track rankings can be found on the governing body’s website.
The track cycling events at the Paris Olympics will take place between 5-11 August at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, southwest of the city.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.
He's also fluent in French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.
-
Wout van Aert spotted training with front disc ahead of Paris Olympics time trial
They're almost never used outside, but can make the difference between winning and losing
By James Shrubsall Published
-
Big Ride Challenge t-shirts now available to buy
If you want to let others know how far you plan to ride in 2024, you can now get it printed across your chest.
By Simon Richardson Published
-
'We'd get McDonald's on the way home': Inside Josh Tarling's rise from determined 8-year-old to Olympic favourite
Ahead of his Olympic debut, the European champion and his dad, Michael, look back at the scene that made him
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I'm definitely pushing over 2,500 watts' - Meet the most powerful cyclists in the GB Olympics squad
Move over track sprinters, there are stronger legs in town
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Paris 2024 Olympics time trials: Everything you need to know
Information about the course, timings, favourites, startlists and TV channels for the individual time trials
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tadej Pogačar to skip Olympics road race
Tour de France champion was originally selected as part of four-man Slovenia team
By Adam Becket Published
-
Geraint Thomas not picked by GB during his final Olympic cycle
Double gold medallist misses out on spot in five-man road team
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tom Pidcock, Josh Tarling and Emma Finucane lead first Olympics squad selection for Team GB
Over half of GB's Paris Olympics squad revealed, with second announcement expected on 4 July
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Filippo Ganna: Josh Tarling is one of the best time trialists - he's one of the motivations I have for training
Italian says he's hoping for a "good fight" for Olympic gold against his Ineos Grenadiers teammate
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'We've both cried during blocks': Inside the Olympic preparations of GB's track sprinting stars
Counting down the days to the sprint finals at the Olympics, Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell tell Tom Davidson about their final push to find that decisive tenth of a second
By Tom Davidson Published