Cyclist Katie Archibald on Tokyo 2020 hopes: 'I'm physically in a better place than ever'
In March, ITV News Sports Editor Steve Scott asked Katie Archibald about how she is dealing with the pressures of the Tokyo Olympics during a pandemic
The lack of racing opportunities during the pandemic has increased the pressure on the Olympic games, Olympic gold medallist Katie Archibald has said, as she expressed confidence in her team's physical preparation for the unique tournament.
Archibald already has a prized gold medal to her name, having been part of the record-setting team pursuit quartet which swept all before them in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.Boasting six Olympic Champions, Britain's cyclists are now viewed as a somewhat prolific mine for medals, and she feels her training has prepared her well in going for gold again.
Despite Covid heavily disrupting schedules, Archibald told of how she is in peak physical condition as she took strength from the pandemic-induced isolation.
Archibald was part of the team and has amassed 50 medals at Olympic and Commonwealth Games, World and European Championships and UCI Track World Cup meetings.
She told ITV News: "Now that those racing opportunities are few and far between, it is just mounting more and more onto what is usually the biggest one of your career anyway, is, in this climate, even bigger."
"Our physical preparation would have been one of the best in the world and I think has now just gone onto new heights because we have kept the support of UK sport and of British cycling.
"We have been in that position where we can continue training even without the races. So, honestly, I am physically in a better place than I have ever been."
Archibald trained in a tent in her bedroom with a kettle boiling to simulate hot and humid conditions
Her fellow cyclist Laura Kenny is aiming to become the country's most successful Olympian ever, with fellow cyclist husband Jason - who shares the British record of six gold medals with Chris Hoy.
She has also acknowledged how the delay to Tokyo 2020 has helped in her preparations after recovering from two serious injuries on the boards.