Elinor Barker MBE

Elinor Barker is an Olympic and world champion winning cyclist from Cardiff who not only is an inspiration to young cyclists but also uses her platform to support mental health charities and initiatives.

Elinor is a 7-time world champion and has set world records, demonstrating consistent high performance in competitive cycling on the road and track. She first took up cycling with the Maindy Flyers Club in Cardiff at the age of 10 and became an Olympic champion at just 21 years old.

Competing at elite level at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the age of just 18, Elinor took her first gold in the team pursuit. This was the first of 8 consecutive appearances the Welsh rider would make at world championships, going home with at least one medal from every single competition.

In addition to playing a vital role in the team pursuit squad, Elinor has had incredible solo success, winning medals at world cups, European championships and world championships in the points, scratch and elimination races.

As Wales’s most decorated female Olympian Elinor has won medals at the last 3 Olympic Games. She achieved her first Olympic gold medal in 2016 in Rio, Silver in Tokyo in 2021 and both a silver and a bronze in 2024 in the Paris Games.

In 2012 Elinor was voted as the BBC Wales Junior Sportswoman of the Year and received an MBE from HM The Queen in the New Year Honours 2016.