Rhianna's ready to use Commonwealth Games as springboard to more success

Parris-Smith won team sprint silver at Glasgow 2026 before narrowly missing out on the semi-finals of the individual event less than 24 hours later.

The 24-year-old is the junior member of the British sprint squad that boasts Olympic champions Emma Finucane, Katy Marchant, and Sophie Capewell and is determined to learn as much as she can as she targets Los Angeles 2028.

She set a Games record in her qualifying lap before that was swiftly topped by Capewell and then Finucane but qualified third-fastest in a strong field.

Her subsequent defeat to Malaysia’s Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri was a lesson in itself and the Kettering rider is ready for more after her first multi-sport Games experience.

"I'm proud,” she said. “I came into this knowing I could be up there, so to get a Games record, even if it only lasted five minutes or so, was really cool. I didn't actually realise until I sat back down on the rollers afterwards.

"It shows we're moving in a really positive direction and, on a personal note, I'm really proud of what I achieved today.

"This is my first multi-sport event and my first major Games, so it's been a really cool experience. I've learned so much from it and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity.

"Competing in front of these crowds and having the support of my team-mates, Team England and GB has been incredible.

“Being here, showing up and performing has been a really positive step forward, and I'm proud of myself.

"I feel like I'm learning something new every day. I'm still fairly new to cycling in terms of experience, so whether it's in training or competition, there's always something to take away.

"Today was one of the first times I've raced the team sprint and then come back the next day to compete in the sprint. Normally that would be left to other riders, so it was nice to experience that and hopefully there will be more of it to come.

"Over the last few months I've gained a lot more belief in myself and that's a credit to the people who believed in me when I didn't necessarily believe in myself. I'm really excited about the future.”

Parris-Smith is part of an exciting pool of riders at Great Britain's disposal in the lead-up to LA 2028, with most of them on show in Glasgow.

The fastest seven riders in qualifying were British and while not everyone will be on the plane in two years’ time, Parris-Smith knows the challenge and competition can only be good for results on the track.

She added: "It's massive to be part of the strength and depth we have in British women's sprinting at the moment. We have so much talent.

"Most of the top 10 were GB riders and I think that's amazing. We all push each other in training and it's a really healthy competition. We bring out the best in each other and what we have in the sprint squad is really special.

"It will be exciting to see where we can take it between now and the next Games."

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