Katie Archibald insisted her targets at the track world championships are “as high as they always would be” four months on from the horrific leg injuries that ruined her Olympics dream.
Archibald’s hopes of adding to her two Olympic golds at Paris 2024 were dashed as, weeks earlier, she suffered a fractured tibia and fibula, a dislocated ankle and ligament damage in a freak accident.
The muscle shrinkage in her left calf and a swollen ankle are reminders of that stumble over a step in her garden in June but she will make a swift return to action this week in Ballerup, Denmark.
“Now that I am able to push again, the fact that I can turn up to the track sessions as a contributor, and not just a burden…I feel sort of more aware of those elements that are making me happier on the bike than than I’ve been in a long time.”
Archibald has already turned her attentions towards competing at the Los Angeles Olympics but is wary of viewing the 2028 Games through the lens of ‘unfinished business’.
“I can tell in myself that’s maybe a toxic driver,” she added. “I don’t think that’s how somebody gets to the top, by thinking ‘well, I wanted to do something. I’m just going to keep trying until I can’.
“The driver that I do have is I know that I’m good at this. I know that I really enjoy it. I feel super motivated for LA and I just do want to be cautious that I’m not just completing unfinished business.”
