Aug
19
Goodison wins sailing gold
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Britain’s Paul Goodison made up for his Athens heartbreak by claiming gold in sailing’s laser class on Tuesday.
Goodison, who came fourth four years ago, led going into the medal race, and finished ahead of Sweden’s Rasmus Myrgren to win Britain’s 13th gold. Slovenia’s Vasilij Zbogar took the silver while Italy’s Diego Romero claimed the bronze.
“It just feels unbelievable. It’s going to take a while to sink in but wow,” said 30-year-old Goodison.
Goodison’s victory secured Britain’s third sailing gold of the Beijing Olympics. Ben Ainslie and the crew of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson won gold for Britain in the Finn and Yngling classes respectively.
Aug
12
Mixed results for Murray at Beijing
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Andy Murray suffered a shock straight sets defeat by Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun in the men’s Olympic singles as his bid for gold faltered in the first round itself.
But the 21-year-old rallied and returned with brother Jamie to claim a 4-6 6-3 6-4 doubles win over Daniel Nestor and Frederic Niemeyer.
Lu’s win was a major disappointment for Murray though, with Britain’s number one in fine form in recent weeks. A lack of urgency cost Murray dear as Beijing’s humidity took its toll.
The world number six cut a frustrated figure throughout as he struggled to cope with world number 77 Lu on his way to a thoroughly deserved 6-7 (5/7) 4-6 defeat.
Aug
11
Adlington wins freestyle gold
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Britain’s Rebecca Adlington made a sensational late surge to take Olympic gold in the women’s 400m freestyle.
The Mansfield 19-year-old left it late to overtake America’s Katie Hoff and become Britain’s first female Olympic swimming champion for 48 years. She pipped Hoff, who led throughout, by just seven 100ths of a second, winning in four minutes and 3.22 seconds.
Adlington was joined on the podium by team-mate Jo Jackson, who also staged a late rally to grab bronze behind Hoff. The British pair paced their race to perfection, reaching 100m and 200m in sixth and eighth place respectively.
Just over half a second separated the field at the halfway point, with Adlington reaching 300m in fifth and Jackson just ahead in fourth. Hoff looked to have a built a decisive lead and was half a length ahead with 10m to go, but Adlington powered up the final 50m to win it at the wall and become the first British woman to claim gold since Anita Lonsbrough won the 200m breaststroke in 1960.
Aug
10
Cooke gets first gold for GB at Beijing
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Nicole Cooke claimed Britain’s first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics by winning a thrilling women’s road race. The Welsh rider timed her finish to perfection, powering off the front and away from Emma Johansson and Tatiana Guderzo in the sprint to the line.
Cooke, 25, was in a group of five that pulled away from the pelaton in the final stretch to the finish. She clocked a time of three hours, 32 minutes and 24 seconds and is Britain’s first Olympic medallist in this event.
“We did it, it was perfect. It’s a dream come true,” said Cooke, who came fifth at the Athens Olympics in 2004. “I came over the line and there was so much - I was just so happy and there were so many emotions that were coming out all at once. I made so much noise because I guess that’s just the person I am. I want to thank all the people who have been there from the start. I have worked so hard, I am so happy. I don’t think it has sunk in yet. I still feel like the normal Nicole from before the race. But it’s just so exciting.”
Emma Pooley, who played a crucial pacemaking role in Cooke’s gold-medal bid, came 23rd while the third member of the British team Sharon Laws finished in 35th.
Aug
8
Beijing Olympics begin today
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The 2008 Olympics begin officially in Beijing on Friday with more than 200 countries taking part in the opening ceremony at the Bird’s Nest stadium.
A three-hour spectacular is promised, starting at 1300 BST, with basketball star Yao Ming to carry the hosts’ flag. But concerns over pollution which have dogged the Games remain, and organisers are hoping rain may improve conditions.
Seventeen of the 28 sports feature action on Saturday, with the Games running until 24 August. The Games are expected to attract a record TV audience of four billion - over 100 million more than for the 2004 Athens Olympics. A capacity crowd of around 90,000 will watch the opening ceremony in the famous stadium in the heart of Olympic Green.
The British team can hope for medals in various events such as rowing, shooting, equestrian, archery, judo, canoeing, cycling, athletics, boxing, taekwondo and tennis amongst many others.
Jul
30
Tweddle hampered by injuries
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Great Britain gymnast Beth Tweddle has picked up a rib injury ahead of the Olympics in Beijing.
GB coach Adrian Stan said, at the team’s Macau training camp, that the 23-year-old’s injury was “minor but unsettling”. “She went rather gingerly about her training on Tuesday. She will spend an extra three days on the island where she can use softer mats before she rejoins her colleagues in Beijing on Monday.”
Studd said the injury was clearly hampering Tweddle’s preparations after a frustrating year in which she has been troubled by ankle problems. Tweddle injured an ankle in training last month, meaning she was unable to defend her all-around title at the recent National Championships.