Rachel Sarah James (born 30 August 1988) is a Welsh racing cyclist specializing in track cycling.
 Rachel James (2016) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rachel Sarah James | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 August 1988 Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Track & Road | |||||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Sprinter / All-Rounder | |||||||||||||||||
| Amateur team | ||||||||||||||||||
| Abergavenny Road Club | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editJames, from Abergavenny, Wales, is the daughter of David James and Christine Harris,[1] and has a younger sister, Becky, who is a world champion racing cyclist,[2] and also has another two younger sisters; Ffion and Megan, and brother Gareth, who are all keen cyclists. Although Rachel is older than Becky, it was Becky who entered the sport first: she persuaded Rachel to take up cycling, with the hope of the pair representing Wales in the team sprint at the 2014 Commonwealth Games - however these hopes were dashed when the event was removed from the Glasgow games' schedule.[3]
In 2013, James became a pilot for paracyclist Sophie Thornhill.[4] The pair won a gold medal and set a new world record at the 2014 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Aguascalientes in the 1km time trial, on their debut in a major international event.[5] They subsequently won a second gold in the tandem sprint.[6]
James represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 2014[7] where she rode as pilot for former paralympic swimmer Rhiannon Henry.[8] James reunited with Thornhill to compete in the 2014 British National Track Championships in September, where they won the mixed time trial[9] and the 200 metre flying start time trial for blind and visually impaired riders.[10] In addition James took a bronze medal in the team sprint alongside Helen Scott.[11]
Palmarès
edit- 2012
- 1st Team sprint, British National Track Championships (with Becky James)
- 2013
- 3rd Keirin, British National Track Championships
- 3rd Team sprint, British National Track Championships (with Ellie Coster)
- 2014
- 1st Tandem B 1km time trial, UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships (with Sophie Thornhill)[12]
- 1st Tandem B sprint, UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships (with Sophie Thornhill)
- 1st Para Cycling BVI mixed time trial, British National Track Championships (with Sophie Thornhill)
- 1st Para Cycling BVI 200m flying start time trial, British National Track Championships (with Sophie Thornhill)
- 3rd Team sprint, British National Track Championships (with Helen Scott)
- 2017
- 2nd Keirin, Oberhausen
- 3rd Keirin, International track race - Panevežys
References
edit- ^ "Cwmheulog Hill-Climb". Cycling Shorts. 13 October 2012.
- ^ Observer Sport staff (29 September 2012). "After the Games: Becky James proves there is life after Pendleton". The Observer. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- ^ McGeehan, Matt (18 October 2016). "Welsh cyclist Rachel James aims to follow in footsteps of sister Becky". WalesOnline. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ^ "Double world cycling champion Becky James aims to retain titles in 2014". WalesOnline. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ McDaid, David (12 April 2014). "Para-cycling Track Championships 2014: GB win two gold medals". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ McDaid, David (14 April 2014). "Para-cycling Track Championships 2014: Storey wins second gold". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games 2014: Olympic champion Geraint Thomas and world sprint star Becky James head up Welsh cycling team for Glasgow". Wales Online. 9 July 2014.
- ^ Griffiths, Gareth (24 July 2014). "Commonwealth Games 2014: Rachel James and Rhiannon Henry miss out on Glasgow medal". WalesOnline. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ "British National Track Championships 24th-28th September 2014: Communiqué No 008" (PDF). trackworldcup.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ "National Track Championships: Jess Varnish powers to sprint title". bbc.co.uk. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Report and Results From Day Four". British Cycling. 27 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^ "Communique #47: Results - Women's B 1km Time Trial Final". Union Cycliste Internationale. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.[permanent dead link]
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