Nicole Cooke Wins Great Britain's First GOLD Medal "It Makes Up For the Pain of Athens" says Cycling Star

by Christina 123 | August 10, 2008 at 05:16 am

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Britain's Nicole Cooke wakes up this morning the new Welsh heroine and has spoken of her amibtition to mitigate the pain of Athens.

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Cooke won an incredible sprint to the line in driving rain – just moments after she had slipped off the back of a five-strong breakaway to seemingly destroy her gold medal dream.

“The group I was in worked very well,” said Cooke after becoming the first Welsh woman to win Olympic gold in an individual event.

“It was as pity there were only three medals for the five of us and two had to miss out. I know what it’s like to come fifth (in Athens) and that’s what has driven me on.

“This is what I have dreamed about since I was 11 years old.

“I’ve worked so long and hard for this and at the end I was overcome with every emotion possible.”

The 126km race was run in appalling conditions, with heavy rain making the road treacherous in places.

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Welsh cyclist, Nicole Cooke won Britain's first gold medal in a thrilling women's road race.

Nicole Cooke claimed Britain's first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in a thrilling women's cycling 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 peloton 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.