LONDON — Dr Anna Morris has completed a remarkable golden hat-trick at the World Championships, winning gold in the team pursuit, omnium and Madison alongside teenage debutant Erin Boothman to become the first woman to win all three events at a single championships since the introduction of the women's Madison in 2017.
"It's pretty high up there with one of the best years on my bike so far," Morris told BBC Sport Wales, after also winning two golds and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games in the summer. "There's such strong depth in the women's field at the moment. There's some really good names in the field. You never know how you're going to fare up against them, so to come away with three golds, I'm still struggling to find the words."
Morris's rise has been extraordinary. She had not even been in a velodrome before she was 20 and, now 31, watched the Tokyo Olympics as a junior doctor in hospital before deciding to put her medical career on pause. Her Instagram bio still reads "career as a doctor on pause" — intended to last a year, it has now stretched to five. She won the world individual pursuit title in 2024 before she had even won the British national championship. "It's down to hard work and consistency over time," she said. "Being part of British Cycling, you're among the best in the world and you can really learn off that. And I think that, when you enjoy what you do, when you're passionate about what you do and you put the hard work in, one thing's just led to the next. I think there's still more to come, hopefully."
Great Britain have returned to the top of the medal table at the World Championships, despite top male sprinter Matt Richardson having to withdraw amid an alleged misconduct investigation. Morris did not ride the individual pursuit — one of her strongest events — where team-mates Millie Couzens and Josie Knight took gold and silver. "It is hard," Morris admitted. "You could probably field a few different teams that could all get the same result. So it is difficult when it comes down to selection, but as a team it's such a good place to be in. You're trying to be the best in the world at something so to have that depth and strength in your squad is just amazing, getting to train with each other, and it definitely contributes to their overall team performance."
The World Championships represented the first step on the qualification process for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, now firmly in Morris's sights. For at least another two years, her medical career will remain on hold.