Katie Archibald facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Katie Archibald
MBE

Archibald in 2017
Personal information
Born	(1994-03-12) 12 March 1994 (age 30) Chertsey, Surrey, England
Height	1.78 m
Weight	67 kg
Team information
Current team	Ceratizit–WNT Pro Cycling
Role	Rider
Rider type	Pursuitist (track) Time trialist (road)
Major wins
;Track Olympic Games Madison (2020) Team pursuit (2016) World Championships Omnium (2017, 2021) Madison (2018) Team pursuit (2014, 2023, 2024)

Katie Archibald, MBE (born 12 March 1994) is an elite racing cyclist, specialising in endurance track cycling events in which she represents Great Britain and Scotland.

A member of the Great Britain 2016 Olympic champion and 2020 Olympic silver medallists team in women's team pursuit, she is a champion in the same event at both the World (2014, 2023) and European (2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2023) championships and former world record holder. She won her second Olympic gold medal in the inaugural women's Madison race at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo with her partner, Laura Kenny.

Individually, Archibald has been European champion in the elimination race in 2015, four times in the omnium in 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2023, in the scratch race in 2021, the women's Madison twice in 2021 and 2023 and a four time European champion in the individual pursuit between 2013 and 2017. In 2017 she secured her first individual global title, winning the Omnium at the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and won a third world championship the following year when partnering Emily Nelson to win the Madison at the 2018 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. In 2021 she won her second individual world title, with a second world Omnium title.

Archibald's 20 gold medals in European elite track championships is an all-time record for that championships. She also holds the women's British national record for the individual pursuit.

Her brother, John, is also an elite cyclist who has represented Great Britain and Scotland. Both won medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games representing Scotland; Katie won gold in the women's individual pursuit and John silver in the men's.

Early life and career

Archibald was privately educated at The Glasgow Academy. She has a sporting background in swimming and took up cycling relatively late, taking it up competitively in 2011 on the grass track and in 2012 on hard track.

After spending 2012–2013 working in the family business (Archers Sleepcentre) as a telesales operator, she was recruited into British Cycling's Olympic Development Academy in November 2013.

Track

Archibald made her Great Britain debut at the 2013 European Track Championships. Alongside Laura Trott, Dani King and Elinor Barker, she won the gold medal and broke the world record twice in the team pursuit.

At the 2013–14 Track World Cup first round in Manchester, while riding for the Scottish Braveheart team, Archibald claimed silver in the scratch race and bronze in the points race. Recalled to the Great Britain team for the 2013–14 Track World Cup second round in Aguascalientes, Archibald was part of the quartet that won gold and broke the world record again in the team pursuit competition.

She then became Scotland's first female track cycling world champion, when she was part of the team that won the team pursuit title at the 2014 World Track Championships. Archibald won the gold medal in the same event, and another in the individual pursuit, at the 2014 European Track Championships. Archibald represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 2014, as she claimed a bronze medal in the points race.

Archibald at the 2015 UEC European Track Championships, where she won three gold medals.

At the 2015 European Track Championships, Archibald became a triple European champion, retaining the team pursuit and individual pursuit titles she won in 2014, while adding the elimination race title.

Winning gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Archibald returned to competition at the European Championships winning the omnium and for the third year in a row the pursuit and claimed the silver medal in the elimination race. At the Six days of London event, Archibald won eight of the ten races to secure the women's omnium title with 15 points. Archibald then returned to Glasgow for the World Cup event, where she partnered Manon Lloyd to win the Madison event, but broke her wrist in an early fall whilst changing with Lloyd. Archibald returned from injury to finish second at the Six Days of Berlin, and followed it up by winning four titles at the national championships. At the final of the Six Day series in Mallorca, Archibald finished runner up to her team pursuit teammate Elinor Barker. Archibald then capped her track season by winning her first individual world title in the Omnium.

Archibald retained her Individual Pursuit and Omnium titles at the European Championships and was also part of the team that took the silver medal in the team pursuit.

Archibald was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to cycling.

Archibald was chosen to be part of the UK's cycling squad at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she was joined by Elinor Barker, Neah Evans, Laura Kenny and Josie Knight for the endurance races. She returned with a silver medal in the Women's team pursuit, but shared the inaugural gold medal in Women's Madison with Laura Kenny. In October 2021 Archibald was selected for the European Track cycling championships, winning her 15th and 16th gold medals in the Scratch race and Omnium to become the elite events most successful ever competitor. In June 2024, Archibald was ruled out of the upcoming Olympics in Paris. Archibald broke two bones in her leg and tore ligaments off the bone after falling over a step in her garden in a “freak accident.” She will make her return to the track in October at the 2024 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Denmark.

Road

Her road cycling team Podium Ambition, formerly Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International, turned professional for the start of the 2016 UCI Women's World Tour. She, along with team-mates Sarah Storey and Joanna Rowsell, were the first riders to be named in the new line-up. Archibald joined Sheffield based Team WNT Pro Cycling for the 2017 season. During the 2017 season, Archibald finished third on stage three and four of the Semana Ciclista Valenciana. In the domestic Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series, Archibald won round 2 in Stoke-on-Trent and finished second in the opening event in Redditch. Archibald finished second in the national road race championship and third in the British time trial championships on the Isle of Man, before taking the circuit racing championship in Sheffield.

For the 2018 season Archibald decided to join Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling.

Personal life

Archibald's partner, Scottish racing cyclist Rab Wardell, died on 23 August 2022; she revealed she had unsuccessfully tried to save his life as he entered cardiac arrest in bed beside her.

Major results

Road

Track

Championships timeline

Event		2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Olympic Games	Madison	Not held			—	Not held				1	Not held		—
	Team pursuit				1					2			—
World Championships	Individual pursuit	—	—	5	—	5	—	—	—	—	—	—
	Madison	—	—	—	—	—	1	4	—	3	—	—
	Omnium	—	—	—	—	1	—	7	—	1	—	—
	Points race	—	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	—	—
	Scratch	—	—	—	—	—	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
	Team pursuit	—	1	2	—	—	2	2	2	3	—	1	1
European Championships	Elimination race	Not held		1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	Individual pursuit	NH	1	1	1	1	2	3	—	—	—	—	—
	Madison	Not held			—	—	4	2	—	1	—	1	—
	Omnium	—	—	—	1	1	2	—	—	1	—	1	—
	Points race	15	16	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—
	Scratch	NH	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—
	Team pursuit	1	1	1	—	2	1	1	1	—	—	1	—
Commonwealth Games	Individual pursuit	NH	4	Not held			1	Not held			—	Not held
	Points race		3				2				—
	Scratch		5				4				—
National Championships	Individual pursuit	3	1	2	NH	1	1	1	—	NH	—	—	—
	Keirin	—	—	—		2	—	—	—		—	—	—
	Madison	2	Not held		—	—	1	—	Not held		—	—	—
	Omnium	Race did not exist				1	—	—	Not held		—	—	—
	Points race	—	—	2	NH	1	1	3	—	NH	—	—	—
	Scratch	—	—	2		1	1	3	—		—	—	—
	Sprint	—	—	—		—	3	3	—		—	—	—
	Team pursuit	—	2	1		—	—	—	—		—	—	—

See also

In Spanish: Katie Archibald para niños