Scotland’s Mark Stewart admits he had started to accept he would never win a gold medal at the World Track Cycling Championships — before he finally became world champion in China earlier this month. The 31-year-old prevailed in the gruelling 160-lap points race in Shanghai to reach the pinnacle of his career.
Mark Stewart (Credits: BBC Sport)
Mark Stewart world champion in Shanghai points race
Stewart, from Dundee, had previously claimed two silvers and a bronze at the worlds. His victory in the points race — one of track cycling’s most demanding events — capped a remarkable comeback for a rider whose career had effectively ended five years ago.
He was dropped by British Cycling’s high performance programme and stopped cycling professionally after the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Stranded in New Zealand during lockdown, he stayed in the country and had to make a living away from sport — working as a dog walker, babysitter, teacher, and lifeguard — before rejoining British Cycling ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
Mark Stewart on becoming world champion at 31
Stewart admits his late-career rise has left him unsure how to process the success. “Because it had taken me so long to win a world championship you almost start to make your peace that it wasn’t going to happen,” he told BBC Scotland. He stands by his view that the medal doesn’t change how he judges himself — “something cool and a personal achievement” — and says he had to channel “extremely challenging” personal circumstances in the build-up into his performance.
After tasting Olympic action in Paris two years ago, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist now has his sights on the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. “That world championships was the start of the Olympic selection process, so I couldn’t really have started it in a better place,” he said. “I have found a new level of performance and I think if I can tap into that it might open up a few more doors.”
From dog walker to world champion — Stewart’s story is one of the great sporting comebacks of 2026.
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
