Revenge not the motivation behind my comeback, says Pooley

Emma Pooley may be coming out of retirement for one more bout, like a prize-fighting boxer, but revenge is not on her mind.

Nor is targeting the Rio Olympics for "the tracksuit".

The opportunity to claim gold is what spurs on the 2008 Olympic silver medallist and 2010 world time-trial champion.

She told Press Association Sport: "I really don't feel like I'm coming back for revenge, because I 'only' got silver.

"I'm not desperate to go for the going's sake. I'd much rather someone else went if I can't do well.

"If I'm not in a medal-winning position I don't have to go. I really don't just want the tracksuit."

The 33-year-old retired from professional cycling and focused on triathlon after claiming two silver medals - in the time-trial and road race, behind Lizzie Armitstead - at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

She was persuaded to return by the mountainous route for the Rio time-trial - in contrast to the pan-flat London course when she finished sixth - by the chance of going one better than eight years ago in Beijing.

Pooley, who now lives in Zurich, Switzerland, added: "I have really positive memories of Beijing. A year before I hadn't though I'd ever go to an Olympics.

"To come away with any kind of medal was just insanely exhilarating. I was really proud of my performance and amazed to get a silver medal.

"In London the only thing I regret is that the course was flat.

"(Rio) is more about opportunities. I'm an athlete, I'm unashamedly competitive and I like winning things.

"The Olympics, with that course, seemed like quite a good opportunity for my characteristics as a cyclist. I could do well.

"It's an opportunity and other people think the same."

Pooley, a key figure in Nicole Cooke's road race gold at the 2008 Olympics, has proven she can support Armitstead to glory before, including in Glasgow two years ago. The world champion will be the leader in the road race on August 7, with Pooley's individual priority the time-trial on August 10.

Pooley will on June 5 race in the Rapperswil 70.3 triathlon, before her focus switches to the bike.

Winning the half-ironman - made up of a 1.9-kilometres swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run - would be welcome before she hangs up her running shoes until after Rio. She was second there in 2014, before stepping away from the bike.

The conversation with Pooley is punctuated by the continual "if selected" caveat. She should know by mid-June.

Pooley returned to the peloton in the women's Tour de Yorkshire one-day race in late April, riding in a British team alongside Armitstead.

Coming between a half-marathon and a half-ironman, Pooley was not too thrilled by her performance, but she is confident she can get up to race pace swiftly.

"It was a good reminder that I need to do some road racing before Rio, if I do get picked," she added.

"If I do some stage races, I think the fitness and top-end speed would come."

Pooley is expected to be in the Great Britain team at the Aviva Women's Tour, which takes place from June 15 to 19, and features a stage finish in Norwich, where she grew up.

"It would be tough," she said.

"I'd have nine days to recover from the half-ironman, so that's pushing it."

Pooley has no plans to return to cycling full-time. There were too many races she endured, rather than enjoyed; she likes being able to pick and choose triathlons.

She has some prestigious wins since leaving cycling, including twice triumphing in the Zofingen Long-Distance Duathlon World Championships.

But that does not include her weakest discipline - swimming - and she knows that to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in 2017, she must improve in the water.

"When I started I wanted to see if I could qualify for Kona," Pooley added.

"At the moment I'm leaning towards thinking I can't qualify, because I haven't managed to improve my swimming enough."

If she falls short, she will aim for a different World Championships at a different distance.

"I would like to target a major championship in triathlon, but just like in cycling I'd like to look at the course first," she said.