Olympics: Nicole Cooke wins gold for Great Britain in road race thriller

Olympics: Nicole Cooke wins gold for Great Britain in road race thriller

Nicole Cooke wins gold.

Nicole Cooke wins gold in the road race.

Cyclist Nicole Cooke broke the British team's Beijing medal drought in style today, overcoming a world-class field and pouring rain to win gold in the women's road race.

Racing in the shadow of the Great Wall on the day that the rain that has threatened Beijing all weekend finally arrived, Cook, born in Wick in the Vale of Glamorgan, out-sprinted three rivals at the end of the 126km race, crossing the line with a roar to secure a gold medal that was significant in every way.

It was the first ever medal from a British female cyclist, the first gold from a Welsh athlete since 1972, and Great Britain's 200th gold medal in Olympic history.

"It's just like a dream come true, and I hope everyone one can share in this dream," said a jubilant Cooke as she celebrated on the wall at Badaling outside the city. "There have been so many people helped me to get here since I started cycling, everyone should share in it hope they have the same feelings I do. I still don't think its sunk in yet, I feel like the normal Nicole from before the race. It's just so exciting.

"When I came over the line I was just so happy, so many emotions were coming out that I probably wasn't composed enough to take my hands off the bars and do a salute. I made so much noise because that is the person I am."

Cooke finished the 126km course in a time of 3hr 32min 24sec beating Sweden's Emma Johansson and Italy's Tatiana Guderza into the medal positions. Fellow Briton Emma Pooley, who helped fragment the field and tire some of Cooke's main rivals, finished in 23rd place, 30 seconds behind Cooke. Sharon Laws, who also spent a large proportion of the race at the front of the peloton, finished 35th.

Cooke, who came fifth in the Athens Olympic race, has been the outstanding female road cyclist for the last three years, during which time she has won the women's Tour de France and been ranked No1 in the world. After winning the tour in 2006 she was shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and today she has been installed as 16-1 favourite for the award.

Cooke was introduced to competitive cycling aged 11 by her father, a physics teacher who had competed himself at amateur level, and she spent her formative years riding in the Welsh valleys and competing in cyclo-cross, experiences that served her well today as the heavens opened over Beijing. "I felt like I was drowning more or less, but one of benefits of riding mountain biking and cyclo-cross is that you get used to riding in any conditions," she said.

Cooke got her first taste of international competition aged 12 when she competed in a stage race in Holland against 60 competitors from across Europe. Her talent was immediately apparent and she was convinced that she had found her vocation. By the time she was 15 her schooling was being rearranged to allow her to train more often, and she took her GCSEs and A-levels early. She won her first junior national title aged 16 and was four-times world junior champion before turning professional.

The result delivered a timely boost to Team GB after a quiet start to the games saw medal hopes in judo and archery go unfulfilled, and it was welcomed by sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe: "This is a great start to the Beijing Olympics for Team GB and I have no doubt this medal will fire up the rest of the team to do their best in the next two weeks. Well done to Nicole Cooke - she has set us on our way."

1983: Born April 13, Swansea, Wales.
2000: Wins gold medals in world championship junior road races in France and Spain.
2001: Continues that success with further wins in junior race and time trial in Portugal.
Awarded the Bidlake Memorial Prize, given for outstanding performance or contribution to the betterment of cycling.
2002: Wins gold medal in women's road race at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
2003: Wins the women's road race world cup, the youngest to do so and the first Briton.
Named BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year.
2004: Becomes the youngest winner of the Giro d'Italia Femminile.
August: Finishes fifth in road race in the Athens Olympics.
2006: Wins the bronze medal in the road race at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
September 3: Wins road race world cup for the second time.
2008: August 10 - Wins gold medal in road race at the Beijing Olympics, Britan's first medal of the games.