Thursday 24th June sees the British Olympic Association confirm the first 20 riders heading to France this August, with sprint ace Carlin and rising MTB star Aldridge securing their seats on the plane.
Paisley man Jack Carlin heads to his second Olympic Games following a memorable debut in Tokyo where he bagged a brace of medals, starting with a silver medal in the Men’s Team Sprint alongside his now coach Jason Kenny, and Ryan Owens. Three days later he would add a second medal, bronze in the Men’s Sprint, to underline his status as one of the best sprinters on the planet.
Since then Carlin’s career has continued on that same trajectory, with a pair of medals at the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2022, before winning bronze on his home velodrome at last year’s World Championships in Glasgow.
For Aldridge, Paris will mark a maiden Olympic Games, the young rider from Crieff one of the most exciting talents in mountain biking. Now 23, Aldridge burst onto the scene by taking the World Junior title in 2019, before winning the U23 title in fine style at the World Championships at Glentress last summer.
Since then Charlie has moved up to Elite level at World Cups, a fine fourth place finish in Novo Mesto meaning he is now on everyone’s radar.
There is also a special mention for Dundee’s Mark Stewart who has been named as a travelling reserve to cover the Men’s Track Endurance programme. Whilst Stewart is now focusing most of his attention on the roads, he has impressed on the boards over the last 12 months, including winning World Championship silver in the Madison in Glasgow.
Speaking of Charlie and Jack’s inclusion in the squad for Paris, Scottish Cycling Performance Director, David Somerville, said:
“It’s great to have our first athletes confirmed on the place to Paris, and I’m absolutely delighted for Charlie and Jack, but also their families, coaches and clubs that have supported them on the journey to where they are today.
“Both young men are fantastic role models for our sport and I’m sure they’ll do Scotland and GB proud.”
Following Katie Archibald’s unfortunate accident last week, which rules her out of Paris, the Women’s Endurance team will be announced next week.
The full GB line-up to date can be found here