Spanish cyclist Anna Sanchis said on Monday she was delighted to be able to carry on the family tradition after being named in the Spain squad for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Sanchis was the third cyclist to be named for the women's team, in part thanks to her excellent seventh place finish in the Giro de Italia. She will be joined by Maribel Moreno and Marta Vilajosana.

That meant she would be the second member of her family to compete in the Games.

"My father Jose Salvador was a professional in the 80s and 90s and went to the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 along with Miguel Indurain," she told Spanish newspaper Marca.

"I am on a cloud, but until (coach Juan Carlos Martin) told me I was going, I did not raise my hopes. If anyone had told me a year ago that I was going to be in the squad, I would not have believed them," said Sanchis, who is just 20 years old.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2008)