Anything less than Olympic gold a disappointment for Armitstead
BySportsbeat
Published 21/06/2016 at 14:13 GMT
At the London 2012 Olympic Games, Lizzie Armitstead was ecstatic to walk away with a silver medal but four years on she claims anything other than gold in Rio would be a disappointment.
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At London, in front of a vociferous home crowd, Armitstead exceeded all expectations to clinch Team GB's first medal of the Games – getting away in a late break to take second in the road race behind Marianne Vos.
Back in 2012 expectations surrounding the then-23-year-old were low, having spent just one full season on the road prior to the Olympics but this time around things are vastly different.
Not only is Armitstead the reigning World Champion but she has racked up an incredible seven victories from 14 days of racing in 2016, including a home triumph at the recent Aviva Women's Tour.
She will be the one to beat in Brazil on Sunday August 7 and as she looks to upgrade silver to gold, the 27-year-old admits the difference between now and four years ago is night and day.
"I was just a totally different rider back then," Armitstead told CyclingNews. "Going into London, I was looking for a top ten but going into Rio I want gold, and I'd be disappointed with anything else.
"That's not to say that I'm pinning my career on that result because anything can happen and that's cycling, and I don't think that it is a healthy way to look at a goal.
"Those are my ambitions, and they're very different to London. In London I felt elated [at winning silver], completely totally happy, but it was surreal, it felt like I was dreaming.
"It was probably the biggest sporting moment of my entire career and just a massive event for our country. I feel very lucky that I was a British athlete experiencing a home Games.
"I was very nervous, I was young, and I was inexperienced. It was my first Olympic Games, and it was a home Games.
"It was high pressure but really for myself, I didn't have that much expectation going into it. I was hoping for a top ten.
"I think I would have been happy with a top ten so to come away with a medal was beyond my expectation."
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