Source: Xinhua
08-18-2008 09:50
Special Report: 2008 Beijing Olympic GamesBEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Bradley Wiggins beat Hayden Roulston of New Zealand to win his second Olympic gold medal in the men's individual pursuit at the Olympic Games here on Saturday.
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| Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain rides in the Men’s Individual Pursuit Finals of the cycling-track event during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain ranked 1st in the finals and won the gold medal.(Xinhua Photo) |
The Briton, who also won the event at the Athens Olympics, clocked 4 minutes 16.977 seconds, while Roulston snatched silver with a time of 4 minutes 19.611 seconds.
Another British Steven Burke was placed third in 4 minutes 20.947 seconds, as Russian Alexei Markov finished fourth in 4 minutes 24.149 seconds.
In the ferrous one-one duel, Wiggins was behind during the first quarter of the 4km race with a time difference of 0.379 seconds, but he grabbed the lead from then on and did not give his rival any chance to surpass.
In the bronze competition, Burke didn't have a smooth breath like his teammate. He rode to the second place after the first 1km and didn't retain the leading position until the last 2km.
"It was a special occasion to get the job done and win gold. The final was hard, but I couldn't risk trying to ride easy," said Wiggins, who was gold medalist of the 2006 and 2007 World Championships.
Speaking of his second-time win of an Olympic gold, the 28-year-old rider said it was a completely different experience. "It's been a long year building up for the Olympics. I'm pleased that it's over," he said.
The emotional Roulston didn't show any sign of disappointment or regret at the silver medal. "I gave it my best. I have no regrets. Silver is a very good finish. No regrets." the New Zealander said.
The 27-year-old rider, who was placed fourth in the event at this year's World Championships, explained he didn't know he was going to be in men's individual pursuit because of his many ups and downs.
"This is all thanks to my family support," he added.
A total of 18 riders competed in men's individual pursuit yesterday, and the best eight took part in today's race.
Both Wiggins and Houlston will take part in two more races -- men's madison and men's team pursuit, which will start on 17 and 19 of the month, respectively. "Taking on the challenge of winning three golds takes work," the Briton said of the gold expectation.
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| Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain celebrates after winning in the Men’s Individual Pursuit Finals of the cycling-track event during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain ranked 1st in the finals and won the gold medal. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo) |
Editor:Yang Lina
