Emotional Eluned King revelled in payback time as she scooped track cycling bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
It was a brilliant day for Welsh riders at a packed London velodrome which was scarred by a horrific crash involving English rider Matt Walls in the morning scratch race heats.
Remarkably the Olympic omnium champion suffered "no major injuries" other than needing stitches in his forehead amid scrapes and bruises after being thrown over barriers into the crowd.
Team Wales shone when the evening rolled around with Ponthir’s James Ball winning the nation’s first gold of the Games with victory in the tandem sprint.
Then two medals followed in bunch races with Eluned King bagging points race bronze and William Roberts claiming bronze in the scratch race.
Swansea star King picked up 32 points in intermediate sprints to pip Canada’s Maggie Coles-Lyster to the podium for her maiden major international medal.
She said: “I’m not the fastest and I’m not the strongest, so I needed to use my head more than anything else. I just followed the moves and didn’t overthink it. I have a great support network and they’ve been incredible, so this is their medal, not mine.
“I wasn’t strong enough to compete with Georgia [Baker] and Neah [Evans], they’re so cool, calm and collected and I couldn’t believe I was up there with them.”
King has had a turbulent year on the road, joining a new trade team in Le Col-Wahoo. She contracted Covid over Christmas and was involved in a serious crash in Europe over Easter.
A tearful King said: “I’ve put my head down, chipped away and worked hard. My parents, friends and family have all believed in me and the whole team. I don’t really say when I’m suffering but it’s probably been the hardest few months of my life and I’m just really grateful.”
National Lottery players raise more than £30million a week for good causes including vital funding into sport – from grassroots to elite. Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtag: #TNLAthletes.
