Scott ready to hit the gold rush (From Halesowen News)

Scott ready to hit the gold rush

1:00pm Thursday 30th August 2012 in Local Sport

HELEN Scott believes British Cycling’s Olympic success will help propel her to Paralympic glory.

The Halesowen Cycling Club star and team-mate Aileen McGlynn go for gold tomorrow morning when they take to the velodrome track for the one-kilometre time trial.

And following the gold rush enjoyed by Britain’s track team at the Olympics, Scott revealed morale in the Paralympic camp is high.

Both programmes are closely linked, sharing British Cycling’s dedication to the four-year Olympic cycle and Scott is keen to continue the host nation’s domination of the velodrome.

She said: “We were training in Manchester during the Olympics and to be honest we didn’t know what to do with ourselves most of the time.

“Everyone was trying to watch the races in between training and at one stage we were asking our coaches if we could train at 5am in order to watch the Olympics in the afternoon!

“It’s given everyone a huge confidence boost and made us even more determined.”

She added: “We have the same training regime as the Olympic athletes and in a non-Olympic year we would all be together.

“Yes we have different coaches but they all sit at the same desk and the philosophy is the same.

“We are all one big team and chasing them is driving us along too.”

The 22-year-old is the able-bodied tandem pilot for McGlynn, who is visually impaired and duo will see further action in Sunday’s 3km pursuit.

But it is on the time trial they have focused the majority of their efforts and the amiable Scott has vowed to put her cheery persona to one side in a bid to topple Australian duo Stephanie Morton and Felicity Johnson, who snatched gold ahead of the British pair at February’s world championships.

She said: “The problem is they are such nice girls.

“It would be easier if we didn’t like them because you are going into battle with them.

“But we have got to focus on our own race.”

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