Becky James

For other people with the same name, see Rebecca James (disambiguation).
Rebecca James

James in 2012
Personal information
Full name Rebecca Angharad James[1]
Born (1991-11-29) 29 November 1991
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales[1]
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)[2]
Weight 67 kg (148 lb; 10.6 st)[2]
Team information
Current team Velosure–Giordana[3]
Discipline Track & Road
Role Rider
Rider type Sprinter / All-rounder
Amateur team(s)
Abergavenny Road Club
Professional team(s)
2010– Motorpoint–Marshalls Pasta[3]
Infobox last updated on
2 March 2014

Rebecca Angharad "Becky" James (born 29 November 1991) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist specialising in track cycling. James was the 2013 world sprint and keirin champion.[4] She is a 2016 Rio Olympics double silver medalist.

James rides for Wales and the Great Britain Cycling Team, and currently rides for the Velosure–Giordana.[3] First spotted by the Welsh Talent Team, she is now a member of British Cycling's Olympic Podium Programme.[5]

Early life

James attended King Henry VIII School, Abergavenny.[6]

She is the daughter of David James and Christine Harris,[7] and has an older sister, Rachel, who is a racing cyclist,[8] and also has two younger sisters; Ffion and Megan, and a brother, Gareth, who are all keen cyclists. Ffion is a member of the British national mountain bike squad.[9]

Career

Early career

James started her cycling career at the Abergavenny Road Club.[10]

In 2011, she stated that the toughest point in her career to date was just before the 2008 European Junior Championships, when she contracted glandular fever and was unable to compete.[11]

In July 2009, James won the gold medal in both the sprint and 500-metre time trial events and the silver in the keirin at the European Track Championships.[12] She followed this up in August by winning the keirin and sprint at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships, and a silver in the 500-metre time trial, as well as setting a new world record for the flying 200 metres. The framed Rainbow Jersey is kept at her home.[11]

Later in 2009, James won the Daily Telegraph-Aviva Sport Matters Female Pupil of the Year award.[6][13]

Professional career

In 2010, at the XIX Commonwealth Games James represented Wales and won the Bronze Medal in the 500m TT Track race and a Silver Medal in the Sprint Track race. She was nominated for the 2010 BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year,[14] only to lose out to Gareth Bale.

James was under contract from 2011 with the British professional cycling Velosure–Giordana. She was selected for British Cycling's Olympic Development Programme, but was then fast tracked for the London 2012 Olympic Games.[15]

At the 2013 UCI Championships, James beat Germany's Kristina Vogel 2–1 in the final of the world sprint championship to win her first world gold medal.[4]

James was due to represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 2014,[16] but was forced to withraw due to a knee injury.[17]

On the podium (left) at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Personal life

James enjoyed horse riding, and competed in show jumping, but no longer participates due to the risks associated interfering with her cycling commitments.[18] James stated for her pre-race rituals that she enjoys Electronic dance music whilst doing her roller warm up. She uses Reggae and Reggae fusion whilst waiting.[11][18] Her favourite place to ride her bike is Pollença, Mallorca.[11]

Her role models are Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton.[11]

James's long-term boyfriend is Welsh international rugby player George North.[19]

Palmarès

2005
3rd Omnium, British National Track Championships – Under 14
2006
1st 500m TT, British National Track Championships – Under 16
2007
1st 500m TT, British National Track Championships – Junior
1st 500m TT, British National Track Championships – Under 16
1st Sprint, British National Track Championships – Under 16
1st Scratch race, British National Track Championships – Under 16
2nd Sprint, British National Track Championships – Junior
3rd British National Cyclo-cross Championships – Junior
2009
1st Keirin, Junior Track World Championships
1st Sprint, Junior Track World Championships
2nd 500m TT, Junior Track World Championships
1st Sprint, European Track Championships
1st 500m TT, European Track Championships
2nd Keirin, European Track Championships
2nd Keirin, British National Track Championships
3rd Sprint, British National Track Championships
3rd 500m TT, British National Track Championships
2010
1st Sprint, European Track Championships, U23
2nd 500m TT, European Track Championships, U23
2nd Team Sprint, European Track Championships, U23 (with Victoria Williamson)
3rd 500m TT, Commonwealth Games
2nd Sprint Commonwealth Games
2nd 500m TT, British National Track Championships
2nd Sprint, British National Track Championships
2011
3rd Keirin, Round 3, UCI Track World Cup, Beijing
3rd Sprint, GP von Deutschland im Sprint
2nd 500m TT, European Track Championships, U23
1st Keirin, British National Track Championships
1st Sprint, British National Track Championships
2nd 500m TT, British National Track Championships
2012
2nd Team Sprint, European Track Championships, U23
3rd Sprint, European Track Championships, U23
3rd Keirin, European Track Championships, U23
1st Team Sprint, Round 1, UCI Track World Cup, Cali (with Jess Varnish)
2nd Sprint, Round 1, UCI Track World Cup, Cali
1st Team Sprint, Round 2, UCI Track World Cup, Glasgow (with Jess Varnish)
3rd Sprint, Round 2, UCI Track World Cup, Glasgow
1st Keirin, British National Track Championships
1st Sprint, British National Track Championships
1st 500m TT, British National Track Championships
1st Team sprint, British National Track Championships (with Rachel James)
2013
UCI Track World Championships
1st Sprint
1st Keirin
3rd 500m time trial
3rd Team sprint (with Victoria Williamson)
1st 500 m time trial, UCI Track Cycling World Ranking
2014
UCI Track World Championships
3rd Team sprint (with Jessica Varnish)[20]
3rd Keirin[21]
2015
2nd Sprint, British National Track Championships[22]
2nd Keirin, British National Track Championships[23]

References

  1. 1 2 "Search 1984 to 2006 – Birth, Marriage and Death indexes". Findmypast.com. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Becky James – Commonwealth Games Information". Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Becky James grabs silver at national track championships". MotorpointProCycling. 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011.
  4. 1 2 Chris Bevan (23 February 2013). "Becky James wins sprint gold at World Championships". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  5. ↑ "Great Britain Cycling Team Rider Biographies". Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Cycling star continues to shine". Abergavenny Chronicle. 19 October 2009.
  7. ↑ "Cwmheulog Hill-Climb". Cycling Shorts. 13 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Observer Sport staff (29 September 2012). "After the Games: Becky James proves there is life after Pendleton". The Observer. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  9. ↑ Fotheringham, William (23 April 2016). "British Cycling under the spotlight after Jess Varnish allegations". theguardian.com. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Becky James wins Silver for Abergavenny Road Club". Abergavenny Road Club. 7 October 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Becky James Filles-a-velo Interview". Filles-a-velo. 18 January 2011.
  12. ↑ "European Track Champs 2009 – Welsh are huge part of large GB medal hall". British Cycling. 19 July 2009.
  13. ↑ "Rebecca James wins School Sports Matters Award". Welsh Cycling. 8 October 2009.
  14. ↑ "Becky James Runner up at Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2010". BBC Sport. 29 November 2010. 29 November 2010.
  15. ↑ "Cycling: Double world gold for Abergavenny's Rebecca James". South Wales Echo. 17 August 2009.
  16. ↑ "Commonwealth Games 2014: Olympic champion Geraint Thomas and world sprint star Becky James head up Welsh cycling team for Glasgow". Wales Online. 9 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "Glasgow 2014: Becky James withdraws from Wales team". 27 June 2014.
  18. 1 2 "Becky James: Double World Champion". BritishCycling. 17 August 2010.
  19. ↑ Mears, Tyler (8 March 2016). "Star cyclist Becky James opens up on her return to the sport after cancer scare – and rugby international boyfriend George North". Wales Online. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  20. ↑ "Track Cycling Worlds 2014: GB women win bronze as men toil". bbc.co.uk. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  21. ↑ McGeehan, Matt (3 March 2014). "Track Cycling World Championships 2014: Laura Trott takes omnium silver and Becky James Keirin bronze to bring curtain down on Championships in Cali". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  22. ↑ "British National Track Championships 25th-27th September 2015: Communiqué No 22: Category Female: Event Sprint: Round Final Result" (PDF). British Cycling. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  23. ↑ "British National Track Championship 25th-27th September 2015: Communiqué No 049: Category Female: Event Keirin: Round Final Result" (PDF). British Cycling. Retrieved 27 September 2015.

External links

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