MALVERN’S Evie Richards came away with a silver medal in the women’s mountain bike event at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia.
Richards crossed the line behind fellow Team England team-mate Annie Last to give England its first-ever medals in women’s mountain biking.
The Great Britain Cycling Team duo were a class apart from their rivals, with Richards and Last bursting away from the rest of the field on the opening lap.
It was the younger rider and current junior cyclo-cross world champion Richards who made the first move, leading the way for the opening 9km.
But Last – a silver medal winner at last year’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – overtook Richards and never looked back, soloing to a famous victory in 1:18.02.
Richards, equally composed throughout, crossed the line 48 seconds behind to win a fantastic silver medal.
Speaking on Instagram, Richards said: “Every part of the games was even better than I could have imagined and I feel so, so lucky to have been a part of something so incredible.
“To all the young athletes out there, dream big because the Commonwealth Games certainly don’t disappoint.
“Thank-you to so many people, from all the volunteers, to the support at home and everyone around me in the build up.
“I am so spoilt to have the help from you all.”