Archibald thought she was destined for failure before claiming gold

Archibald’s class was evident at Rio 2016 when she won gold in the team pursuit alongside Laura Trott, Elinor Barker and Joanna Rowsell-Shand.

But the 22-year-old enjoyed a break after her hectic summer and admitted she did not expect to claim the individual pursuit title in Paris on Friday evening.

The Scot set a new personal best on her way to qualifying fastest and then claimed the title ahead of Poland’s Justyna Kaczkowska with a winning margin of four seconds.

Archibald, who will also return home with a silver from the elimination race, said: "I thought I was destined for failure because I'd been working at a lot slower pace in training.

“I walked out thinking ‘let’s be realistic because you have had a massive break and this is where you should be’ but it is a fast track, in good conditions and I guess I must still be benefitting from my Olympic form that I have held on to after a break, I'm also pretty well rested!

"It guarantees me a place at the world championships as continental champion so that's my ticket booked - I'm really happy!"

Sportsbeat 2016