Ciara Oliva back with British Cycling, eyeing unfinished Olympic business

Cyclist Ciara Oliva says she has "unfinished business" at the Olympics, and she is back in the Great Britain Cycling Team to chase it. BBC Sport reports that the 37-year-old mum of three has rejoined the programme.

Oliva was a reserve for the women's team pursuit at the Rio 2016 Olympics. That event is a track race, held on an indoor cycling circuit called a velodrome, in which teams of four riders take turns at the front while chasing the clock. She was named as reserve and missed out on the final line-up, so she did not race at those Games.

Her career had already included real success. She first joined the Great Britain programme in 2014. At the 2016 World Championships she won bronze in the team pursuit, and she has won two European titles in the same event.

She retired in 2018 and trained as a physiotherapist. Her return to international racing came at the Commonwealth Games, where she won bronze for Wales in the women's team pursuit. That result put her back on the podium at a major multi-sport event, and it opened the way to her current return to the British squad.

Oliva's aim is clear. She wants another shot at the Olympics, the goal she missed in Rio. Selection for the next Games will depend on the team's own choices and on her results.

Anyone who has followed the team pursuit knows how much rides on timing and teamwork. Four riders have to hit the same pace, change places smoothly and keep the effort going for several minutes. For a rider who has spent time away from elite racing and a long stretch working as a physiotherapist, getting back to that level is a demanding task.

What comes next will show whether her return can turn that unfinished business into a place on the start line.