Team GB cyclists take gold
Britain's team sprint cyclists claim gold after posting world record time to qualify for Olympic final
Friday, 15, Aug 2008 10:39
Britain's team sprint cyclists have claimed gold after posting a world record time in qualifying.
The trio of Jamie Staff, Jason Kenney and Chris Hoy had clocked a time of 42.950 seconds to qualify for the event's final.
In the final the team went round in 43.128 seconds to win Team GB's third gold of the Games and eighth medal overall.
World champions France picked up silver, while Germany claimed bronze.
Athens gold-medallist Hoy, who is a medal hope in the keirin and men's sprint, said: "The French have been so dominant; we have really put all the pieces of the jigsaw together.
"We really focused on the details. To stick half a second into them, it's amazing."
In qualification Staff set an individual record for the fastest-ever opening leg of a team sprint with a time of 17.98 secs.
Britain could be braced for further glory in the velodrome after Bradley Wiggins set a new Olympic record with a time of four minutes 15.031 seconds in the heats of the men's individual pursuit.
In the women's competition meanwhile Team GB's Wendy Houvenaghel and Rebecca Romero placed in the top two ahead of Saturday's final.