Yahoo Sports Truman in Tokyo team sprint vow
Track cycling starlet Joseph Truman has stated his desire to become one of Britain’s best sprinters ahead of Tokyo 2020.
At just 21, the Portsmouth-born rider has already had a taste for success, clinching silver at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games already in 2018.
But with the Olympics only two years away, the 2016 European silver medallist has not shied away from stating his lofty ambitions as the clock ticks down to Tokyo.
“For me, the motivation is getting in that team because you want to be in the team for Tokyo, because when Tokyo comes around, we’re going to be one of the strongest teams there,” Truman said.
“So, if I’m getting into that team, you can take a lot of confidence that you are going to be among the best in the world.
“It started off as being fun, when you’re an early teenager, just mucking about on your bike and now you just want to be the best.
“And you go to training because that’s what you want to do, you want to prove to everyone you can be the best, by getting into that teams and winning medals – it shows you’re on your way to proving that.”
Should Truman feature at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark, he will follow in the footsteps of cycling legends Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy in going for gold on the famous Olympic track.
Keen to evoke their medal winning success, Truman, already a two-time World Cup gold medallist issued a rallying call to ensure Britain’s success continues the track in December.
“London is special,” said Truman. “Even on the approach to the velodrome you can see the building’s shape, you know the history of it.
“Even though it’s new, and everything that has been achieved there. It’s exciting and of course I’m buzzing for that.
“I’m hoping it will be packed and it’s a real wall of noise. So that will be good, I think it will be one of the last chances for us to show some form before we turn our focus towards the world championships. Hopefully we can produce some good performances there.”
A competition that provides a breeding ground for success, then 19-year-old Truman raced to gold at Glasgow in 2016 to clinch his first career senior medal – a feat he is aiming to replicate.
“I don’t think we really ever expected it and I’d only been on the squad for a year or so at that time,” he added.
“So, to come away to a packed stadium and do a PB at the time and get a World Cup gold was really great.
“I think that was the one race that year my parents didn’t watch, but it was a fantastic atmosphere!
“It was the first time Twitter went a bit crazy as well afterwards because it was the first big win we had and shows the media attention surrounds cycling in the UK which was exciting.”
See the stars of British cycling get #BackToTheTrack at the TISSOT UCI Track Cycling World Cup at London’s Lee Valley VeloPark from 14 – 16 December. For tickets and more information, visit www.trackworldcup.co.uk
