Joanna Rowsell Shand

On a different track

Hitting the track aged 16, Joanna picked up junior National Titles before dedicating herself full-time to the sport aged 20. It paid off: just 9 months later, in 2008, Joanna won her first women’s Team Pursuit World Title.

She battled injuries and setbacks to take her place on Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics, where she won gold in the Team Pursuit, and went on to become World Champion and a World Record Holder.

Joanna retired from professional cycling in 2017 and is now on a different track. Joanna is studying physiology at Manchester Metropolitan University and is determined to succeed. She says: “I want to be the best at whatever I do. It’s part of my DNA and that will never change.”