The 2022 para-cycling track World Championships recently took place in France and High Peak's Katie Toft won an outstanding four gold medals at the major event.
Toft became world champion in the C1 category for the 500m time trial, individual pursuit, scratch race and omnium events.
Understandably, the High Peak sports star was delighted with her success but also explained why it was also a rather odd World Championships campaign this time around:
"In many ways, yeah. But for a few reasons, I was the only C1 athlete competing at the World Championships. So it's still a bit hard to know where I'm at against other athletes right now. So in France, I could only really focus on my own racing and then compare them to times set by others in previous events. But it all looks pretty good! I'm pretty chuffed with what I've come away with."
There was no doubt as to which part of the major championships she was most satisfied with:
"It's probably quite obvious but I'm really pleased with my 200m time which is where I should officially be given a world record; we're just waiting on the ratification for that. I executed the 200m really well. For me, it's quite a technical event. You have to get your lines right and the build-up right into the bankings; things like that all help with your speed in the last three quarters of your lap which is what the clock is set against you for. Because I'm quite wobbly on the bike, I was training at the bottom of the track and not actually going on the track itself all that much for safety reasons more than anything else. So I actually hadn't been very high on the track until the actual racing started. So the first time I did it was in an actual race at the World Championships. So yeah, I was really chuffed with that."
The 2022 para-cycling track World Championships was undeniably an unconventional major event for Toft also. With Katie being the only female C1 rider in France, performances along with times were unique to analyse:
"I've had it happen once before in a couple of races at a previous track World Championships. So I have experienced something similar - but it just meant for this time around I had to focus solely on my own racing and my own times that I came out with and just went from there really."
For now, it remains unclear as to what exactly 2023 will look like in terms of a racing calendar but it goes without saying that competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics is what everything is being aimed at:
"So there's a full selection process to go through before we know definitively what events I'll be competing in next year, so that's still a long way off...it will probably be a mixture of road and track cycling again for me like pretty much every year. It seems to work for me, I enjoy doing it." "Every athlete wants to go to a Paralympics or Olympic Games. That's always going to be the target no matter who you are. In the GB para-cycling squad, we've got real strength in depth. Britain has just had its most successful para-cycling track World Championships ever. We won 20 gold medals in France. It was seriously good. So we're all pushing each other to the absolute limit. We've got a lot of points to collect to qualify for spots at Paris 2024. There's a lot of hard work to do before a place in the Paralympics can be secured."
In terms of the World Championships just gone, Toft was extremely grateful to have her parents attend the major event and watch her compete which she said gives her a major boost:
"It's really lovely. Just seeing them in the stands and being able to chat to them post-race...it just adds to the whole trip. It's nice to be able to speak to them and then return to the track and crack on with the task in hand."
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