Karl McCulloch has been involved in track for 15 years, reigning as Great Britain's strong rival at the Olympics, World Track Championships, and Commonwealth Games, and in retirement he aims to lead Great Britain to success.

McCulloch, who retired from track competition after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has been named Great Britain's Podium women's sprint coach. She will work alongside retired British rider Jason Kenny, who was just appointed Podium men's sprint coach last week.

"Having been part of the evolution of the sport for 15 years at the highest level as an athlete, I feel I have much to offer both athletes and staff colleagues," McCulloch said in a statement.

"I will always be grateful for the impact my coaches have had on my career and on myself as a person. I want to make the most of what I have learned from all the people I have come in contact with over the years, put it all together in my own way, and make a positive impact on the players and staff I will be working with."

McCulloch will assume his duties in England in April after Jan van Eijden steps down to become head coach of the German Cycling Federation in November 2021.

"I strongly resonate with British Cycling's direction towards Paris 2024, and in the long run, Los Angeles 2028 and beyond, and look forward to joining the team and getting started soon," McCulloch said.

McCulloch has teamed with both Ana Meares and Stephanie Morton to win an Olympic bronze medal and four world titles in team sprint. However, he was unable to compete in the team sprint at last year's Olympics, his last as an athlete, as teammate Morton decided to retire after it was announced that the competition had been postponed due to the COVID-19 epidemic. McCulloch, who had been battling a back injury throughout her preparation, instead competed in the individual sprint and finished 13th, and in the Keirin, where she lost in the semi-finals to eventual winner Kelsey Mitchell of Canada, who finished 6th.

Great Britain also did not compete in the women's team sprint, with Rio Olympics bronze medalist Katie Marchant competing in the Keirin. Merchant also competed in the individual sprint, finishing 6th.

The country won an impressive number of medals in both track and other cycling events, topping the medal count with six gold medals and 12 medals overall. Seven of those medals were won at the Izu Velodrome, in the men's sprint, endurance, and women's endurance events.

In Rio, Becky James and Merchant won two silver and one bronze medal in the women's track sprint, while Victoria Pendleton won gold and silver in London. The challenge for the future will undoubtedly be to lead the women's sprint team to another medal victory. [Her experience and understanding of top-level racing will be of great benefit to the current sprinters with ambitions to Paris and Los Angeles, following the excellent progress of the last few years," British Cycling Performance Director Stephen Park said in a statement.