Richardson eyes world titles on return after worst crash of career

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The 27-year-old was forced out of a hotly anticipated Commonwealth Games debut for England this summer, left in a Japanese hospital with a broken right scapula and heavily bruised hip after a rival deliberately floored him in a keirin race hours before he was due to fly to Glasgow.

A little over two months later, Richardson is in Britain’s 20-strong squad for next week’s Shanghai world championships, believing his numbers in training show he can still compete for a rainbow jersey as he tackles the team sprint, individual sprint and the keirin.

“I always expect a high level of myself, and I do truly believe that I stand a chance of winning world titles,” said Richardson, who won sprint and keirin gold in the European Championships earlier this year.

“So going there and medalling would obviously be fantastic. I think that would be a really good showing of the rehab and the team I’ve got at British Cycling getting me to that level. I’m still going there to win gold.”

Footage of Richardson’s crash at the Keirin World Series in Tachikawa is not for the faint-hearted. Rival Kento Suzuki swerved sharply, sending Richardson tumbling along the inside of the track after a loud impact, and was disqualified.

“I think a line was crossed that day,” Richardson said. “We understood the risk coming in as the international racers, coming into race championship keirin.

“We knew there was argy-bargy but there’s a difference between argy-bargy and intentionally taking a wider line to hit someone off their bike.

“It’s just a shame that a rider has decided to put another person’s safety at risk like that.”

Richardson missed not only his own races in Glasgow, but also the chance to see his partner Emma Finucane make history by winning four gold medals for Wales in a clean sweep of the women’s sprint events.

Laid up in bed on the other side of the world, Richardson used hospital wifi to video-call a friend in Australia, who pointed his phone at the television so he could at least watch along.

British Cycling’s golden couple headline a GB squad that includes seven world champions and seven Olympic medallists, but also some fresh blood as preparations for the Los Angeles Olympics ramp up.

Ed Lowe will make his world championships debut alongside Richardson, Harry Ledingham-Horn and Joe Truman in the men’s sprint, while Finucane is partnered by new faces Rhianna Parris-Smith and Lowri Thomas as well as fellow Olympic champion Sophie Capewell following Katy Marchant’s retirement.

Brothers Noah and Henry Hobbs will ride the men’s endurance events alongside the more experienced Matt Bostock, Ethan Vernon, Mark Stewart and Ollie Wood.

On the women’s side, there are world debuts for Millie Couzens, Erin Boothman and Abi Miller, joining former world champions Meg Barker, Josie Knight and Anna Morris. Racing runs from October 14-18.