MALVERN'S Evie Richards continued her preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer with an impressive third placed finish at the XC World Cup race in Les Gets, France, on Sunday.

Richards, 24, will be representing Team GB in the Mountain Bike event in Tokyo later this month and outlined her podium credentials with a brilliant ride in incredibly testing conditions.

The rain began on Saturday and turned the course into a muddy, slippery mess, with almost every rider hitting the deck at some point, including Evie, as the weather caused chaos for the riders.

Richards came off the bike as she came around the final corner but despite a quick roll in the mud, she recovered to take her first top three finish in a World Cup XCO.

The former Chase School student started the race on row four but a late charge saw her gain a bronze medal and maintains her impressive season form at the perfect time.

Gold medal favourite for the Women's Mountain Bike Event in Tokyo, Loana Lecomte, came first on the day and Sweden's Jenny Rissveds recovered from a big crash to finish second.

Following the race, Richards said: "I'm so happy, I had all my music playing in the pits this morning; I was buzzing to race.

"I just had to commit to my own race; it felt a bit like time trial by myself.

"I ran where I had to and just tried to be consistent.

"Before the start I was just wanting to be safe for Tokyo, but when the race starts, that just goes out the window, you kind of forget about that."

The Mountain Bike event will take place on July 27, around 5/6AM BST.