Wales cyclist Becky James has revealed that a cancer scare meant she could not participate in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The two-time world champion was due to compete for Wales, but after a smear test in May returned abnormal results, James underwent a minor operation four weeks later.
Despite trying to regain fitness after the operation, James suffered a series of knee injuries which set her back even further. However, the 22-year-old has said that being given the news made her put things into perspective.
"It was a really hard decision," James told the Daily Mail. "The doctor said to me if I had waited another year it could have been completely different. It makes you think about things in a very different way.
"It was a big part of me missing out on the Commonwealth Games, so that's why I decided to speak about it. If I hadn't had that time out, who knows.
"I realised how important your health is over everything else. I spoke to one of my friends before I was racing in Germany and I said, 'My form's not very good'.
"She said, 'Good health, or good form, Becky?' It's true. It does make you think."
James is the current world sprint and keirin champion.
Kristian Johnson
