The GB team have spectacularly won gold in the Team Pursuit event at the Olympic Park this evening and broke the world record along the way.
All eyes were on the British boys as they took to the track to defend their Olympic title at the Velodrome. After breaking the world record at their qualifying session yesterday, the crowd waited with baited breath to see if they could hold it against rivals Australia and bring home the gold.
After a nerve wracking race, Team GB crossed the finish line in first place, breaking their own world record, claiming their gold medal and retaining their title from Beijing for another four years.
The last time the two teams met on the London Olympic track, the story was a very different one. The Australian squad took gold against Great Britain in London in February’s fourth round of the UCI Track World Cup, an event which was supported by UK Sport. They won with a time that was 1.7 seconds quicker than the British squad. However that record was beaten again today as the GB team made up of Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, Pete Kennaugh and Geraint Thomas crossed the line.
The British quartet is amongst over 85 athletes funded by UK Sport as part of British Cycling's World Class Performance Programme, including multiple Olympic champions Sir Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins CBE. UK Sport has also worked closely with British Cycling to design and develop equipment in line with the UCI's technical regulations. They have developed track based measurement tools and systems to accurately monitor athletic performances in partnership with BAE Systems, McLaren Applied Technologies and Sheffield Hallam University.
Other projects include targeted investigations into understanding training responsiveness to speed and power stimuli, and support in the development and implementation of an injury surveillance programme. Alongside the £26,032,000 invested by UK sport in British Cycling, thanks to the National Lottery, this work has been done in order to ensure that Team GB cyclists had every possible chance at this year’s Olympics, spectacularly taken by the boys today.
Find out more about UK Sport's work with Cycling.