Wiggins Defends Olympic Pursuit Crown
by Justin Davis
BEIJING, Aug 16, 2008 (AFP) - Englishman Bradley Wiggins successfully defended his Olympic crown when he won the individual pursuit track cycling gold medal for Britain here on Saturday.
New Zealand’s Hayden Roulston took the silver medal with Britain’s Steven Burke winning the bronze.
The 27-year-old Wiggins clocked a time of four minutes 16.9 seconds for the 4,000 meters race against the clock in a final which saw Roulston lead for the first 2,000 meters before trailing in the closing stages.
The Kiwi eventually finished nearly three seconds off the winning pace in 4:19.6.
“It was a special occasion to get the job done and win gold,” said Wiggins, who admitted he had decided not to try anything too ambitious after setting a new Olympic record of 4:15.031 on Friday.
“Yesterday was hard, the 4:16 this evening was controlled. The final was hard, but I couldn’t risk trying to race too easily.”
Victory meant Wiggins, already Britain’s most decorated Olympic cyclist, has won his fifth Olympic medal - the first of three possible golds at these Games.
The Belgium-born time trial specialist will also spearhead Britain’s pursuit team then pair up with Mark Cavendish in a bid to add Olympic gold to the Madison world title they won in March.
With victory in the coveted team event in mind, Wiggins added: “I had to play it safe, not chased world records,” he said.
“Three other guys (in the team) deserved to be in this race. It was the least I could do for them.”
Wiggins, who already has an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) medal from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, saw his second Olympic gold medal cap an emotional period in his life after he lost his father earlier this year.
Meanwhile Roulston’s first Olympic medal was the latest chapter in the remarkable story of a man whose sport might have cost him his life.
Roulston’s silver came just two years after he made a dramatic return to cycling having been diagnosed with a heart condition.
Known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, it left him short of breath, pushed his heart rate to dangerous levels, and put him at risk of dying every time he got on his bike.
He returned to cycling after embracing a Japanese hands-on healing process known as ‘reiki’.
Roulston, who says he no longer suffers from the condition, admitted he was emotional even before the final.
“I can’t believe it. I knew I was going to be thereabouts,” said the Kiwi.
“I was pretty emotional before I went out there. It’s a pretty big deal.”
The New Zealander admitted he was buoyed by doing three rides inside the highly respected mark of 4:20, which is still far slower than British cycling great Chris Boardman’s longstanding world record of 4:11.114.
And he has promised to return in four years time to challenge Wiggins at the London Olympics.
“Three rides at 4:19, a silver medal, I’ve got to be pretty happy,” added Roulston.
“I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ll be back in 2012 to give it another crack.
I think I’ve proved my point.”
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