Cooke wins Britain's first gold in women's road race
Cooke has got Britain's first gold medal of the Games
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Sunday, 10, Aug 2008 08:54
Nicole Cooke has won Britain's first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics after claiming victory in the women's road race.
Coke was part of a group of five riders who broke away on the final climb of the race and then won a sprint finish.
The Swansea-born rider improved on her result at the Athens Games where she had finished in fifth place to claim the top spot on the podium.
Cooke held off the challenge of Sweden's Emma Johansson and Italy's Tatiana Guderza who finished in second and third place respectively.
She finished the gruelling course in a time of three hours, 32 minutes and 24 seconds and is Britain's first Olympic medallist in this event.
The 25-year-old was always likely to be Britain's best prospect of a medal in the race given her illustrious history on the roads. Cooke was World Cup champion in 2003 and 2006 and has also won medals at the World Championships.
Cooke received excellent help from British team-mates Emma Pooley and Sharon Laws who did a great deal of pace-setting for her at the front of the peleton.
Pooley finished in 23rd place and Laws was 35th, both finished around 30 seconds behind the winner.