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Bradley inspires Britain's cycling gold rush
Last updated at 08:26am on 28.03.08Bradley Wiggins punched the air in triumph almost a lap before the line, so overwhelming was the British men's victory in the team pursuit at the world championships in Manchester last night.
His salute — matched from inside the track by a leap for joy by performance director Dave Brailsford — was a signal for the start of a night when golds flowed from the pedals of the British.
Golden handshake: Wiggins pictures
The next came from ex-rower Rebecca Romero in the individual pursuit and then Victoria Pendleton and Shanaze Reade took the team sprint.
But it will be the performance of Wiggins and team-mates Edward Clancy, Geraint Thomas and Paul Manning that will live with the ecstatic home crowd as the defining moment.
Not only did the quartet successfully defend their world title but they smashed the world record time with 3min 56.322sec. It was 0.228sec faster than the previous mark which won Australia Olympic gold in 2004.
Gold in Beijing is Britain's for the taking now.
Wiggins won the individual pursuit on Wednesday but while his superiority was the centre-piece of success, the silky smooth teamwork of the quartet was also pivotal.
"I've never done that before," admitted Wiggins of the precociously early salute. "It's got a bit emotional these last few days, specially with it being in Manchester. It's such a relief when you know you've got it.
"It was always a possibility that the record would go. We've been training at that speed and it was just whether we could put it together on the day."
Wiggins will be back in the madison event tomorrow.
"I'm taking it a day at a time. There was always a good chance I'd win the first two. The madison is a lottery but there's a chance again. That's my goal for Beijing now — two golds and then, perhaps, the third."
The last time Romero went to an Olympics, in Athens four years ago, she won a silver medal in the bow seat of a quadruple scull rowing boat.
After her performance last night, she will travel to Beijing as favourite to go one better on the saddle of a track bike.
That status was rightfully hers after a victory in the individual pursuit that was stunning because it came only two years after she swopped oars for pedals.
She will be the first British woman ever to compete in two different summer sports at an Olympics and, if she wins, the first Briton to do so since Welshman Paul Radmilovic won medals in swimming and water polo before the First World War.
In the gold medal ride-off she was against America's Sarah Hammer, who beat her into second place in her first world championships 12 months ago.
Romero has learned the pedalling game well in her second year, and she was far too good for Hammer, winning by a massive margin of 6.5sec.
"I'm ecstatic. Now for the hard part in Beijing but it's only upwards from here.
"I've never questioned my decison to change sports. I knew absolutely that it was the right thing to do and I have no regrets," said Romero.
Only another 30 minutes passed before Great Britain completed the hat-trick with Pendleton, Britain's Sportswoman of 2007 after winning three world titles 12 months ago, and Reade successfully defending their team sprint crown.
The pair set a new world best for the two laps of 33.186sec to lead the qualifers, and then needed only a time a half second slower to see off the challenge of the Chinese pair, Jinjie Gong and Lulu Zheng.
Another medal is likely tonight in the men's sprint where Olympic kilometre time trial champion Chris Hoy is one of four riding off for gold. But already Britain has four golds and a silver after two of the five days.
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