Turf Moor to welcome region's Olympians
Bronze medallist Sophie Hitchon will attend Turf Moor on Saturday alongside the Ribble Valley’s modern pentathlon star Samantha Murray.
Hitchon set a new British hammer record on the very last throw of the Games in Rio to bump herself up to a podium finish in an exhilarating finale to the competition.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHitchon launched the hammer out to 74.54 metres to move from sixth place to third and become the first British woman to win an Olympic medal in the discipline.
Meanwhile Murray, who claimed silver over the five-discipline event at London 2012, sealed another top 10 finish in Brazil, two years after being crowned World champion.
It will then be the turn of the men as gold medallist Steven Burke and silver medallist Jon Schofield will parade their prizes at the break of the televised Premier League fixture against Watford on Monday, September 26th.
Burke, alongside Team GB team-mates Sir Bradley Wiggins, Ed Clancy and Owain Doull, cruised home in the last lap of the men’s Team Pursuit to clinch gold against Australia in a scintillating final to retain the title won at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAnd Schofield, of Sawley, upgraded his bronze from four years ago to seal a runner-up finish in the K2 200m alongside sprint partner Liam Heath.
At Rio’s stunning Lagoa the British kayakers secured a podium spot in a dramatic finish to the race.
The pair crossed the line in 32.368 seconds, behind champions Spain, but they had to wait nervously to see if they had finished in the medal places, with a frantic finish meaning just 0.12 seconds split fifth and second.