by Justin Davis

BEIJING, Aug 19, 2008 (AFP) – Victoria Pendleton admitted that winning a maiden Olympic gold will take a while to sink in.

After capping a tough, three-day tournament to win the women’s sprint ahead of brave Australian Anna Meares, the Englishwoman’s emotions were all tied up by her gold-winning teammate Chris Hoy.

“I had more emotions watching Chris!” she said.

On a day that took Britain’s track cycling medals haul to a stunning 12 with seven gold, Chris Hoy’s third gold of the Games was the icing on the cake.

Pendleton came into the Games as a three-time defending world champion and in the three-lap event – in which tactics play as much a role as leg power – she was unstoppable.

Although benefting from the tactical nous of Germany’s former world champion Jan van Eijden, now a coach with the British team, Pendelton said the influence of Hoy at the British team’s training sessions has been been massive.

“I’m lucky to be training with him, he’s a real inspiration,” added the 27-year-old.

“Because the level of the team is so high, you have to contend with that in the training sessions.

“They are so competitive, it’s just moving everyone on to a new level.”

It was Pendleton’s first Olympic medal, and first for a British woman since Yvonne McGregor won pursuit bronze in Sydney eight years ago

“I didn’t feel a real member of the team until I got my medal,” she added.
“There was no other option, there was so much pressure.

“I tried not to think about gold, because in the sprint competition it’s not necessarily the fastest who wins. It comes down to tactics.

“Every race you win it makes you more important for the next one, but you can’t take anything for granted. That’s why the event is as hard as it is.”

Meares’ silver medal is one better than her third place in the sprint in 2004, and was the only medal won by Australia’s track team at the Games. In Athens they topped the table with five gold and nine in total.

Given the circumstances, it might as well have been gold. Seven months ago Meares escaped permanent paralysis after sustaining neck and back injuries from a crash in Los Angeles in January.

She came home in a wheelchair, but battled self-doubt and physical pain to get to the Games.

“To just qualify for the Games was amazing. The silver medal might as well be gold. It means the world to me,” said Meares, who in Athens won the 500 metre time trial crown – an event which has been axed from the Olympics.

Guo had battled Meares for a place in the final and beat the Australian 2-1. However Guo was disqualified by the race jury for entering Meares’ lane as they rounded the final bend in the decider.

She went on to dominate Dutchwoman Willy Kanis to win bronze, handing China their first track cycling medal of the Games and just the second in Olympic history following Jiang Yonghua’s silver medal from the 500 metre in Athens.

“I’m satisfied. It makes me even more excited about the future. I think I’ve got room for improvement,” said Guo, who admitted the decision to relegate her was the correct one.

“It was a fair decision,” she said

Photo by: CorVos Pro