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Aug 26, 2023

Cycling World Championships 2023: Great Britain's Beth Shriever reclaims women's BMX title

Last updated on 13 August 202313 August 2023.From the section Cycling Great Britain's Beth Shriever regained the women's BMX world title at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow. Olympic champion

Last updated on 13 August 202313 August 2023.From the section Cycling

Great Britain's Beth Shriever regained the women's BMX world title at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.

Olympic champion Shriever led from start to finish to reclaim the rainbow bands she won in 2021.

"The crowd was amazing, it is so special," she told BBC Sport. "This means so much, I am speechless."

The 2018 winner Laura Smulders was second for the Netherlands, with US rider Alise Willoughby, who won in 2019, crossing the line in third.

"These girls are fast and you have to be at the top of your game and can't make mistakes," added Shriever, 24. "I managed to hold my nerve. I will definitely be celebrating - get me the champagne now."

Shriever's success came after Emily Hutt, her GB team-mate and training partner, took silver in the women's under-23 BMX race.

Anna Shackley also won a bronze medal on home soil in the under-23 women's road race.

Meanwhile, Lizzie Deignan's hopes of a second world crown in the women's road race faded in the closing stages as the British rider came home in sixth, 34 seconds behind winner Lotte Kopecky of Belgium.

There was also disappointment for Britain's Kye White in the men's BMX competition.

The Olympic silver medallist, 23, took the runners-up spot at last year's World Championships in Nantes, but went off the side of the track in the semi-finals and was unable to finish.

Fellow British rider Ross Cullen, 22, was able to advance and ended up sixth in his first world final.

Kopecky had already claimed two golds and a bronze on the track at these championships as she rolled out of Loch Lomond in the concluding race of what has been billed as the biggest multi-discipline event in cycling history.

She underlined her status as the pre-race favourite with a strong attack around 7km from the finish of the 154.1km route.

That distanced several of her rivals including Deignan and Tour de France Femmes champion Demi Vollering.

While Denmark's Cecilie Ludwig was initially able to hold Kopecky's wheel, another powerful surge on a short punchy climb took her clear and allowed her to solo to victory.

Dutch rider Vollering came through to take second place in front of Ludwig.

"It's already been amazing here at the end of a very hard year," Kopecky told BBC Sport.

"I don't know what keeps me pushing but it means a lot to me; it's like a kind of dream that has come true. Becoming a three-time world champion in seven days is amazing."