Nicole Cooke finished first in a women's cycling road race for Great Britain's first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics. Having finished a disappointing fifth at the Athens Olympics in 2004, her delight as she crossed the line first was obvious as she leap off her bike and whooped with delight, racing to hug her team-mates.
"We did it, it was perfect. It's a dream come true," said Cooke, who became the first Welsh person to win Olympic gold for 36 years.
"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."
Cooke clocked of three hours, 32 minutes and 24 seconds gives her finish to perfection, powering off the front and away from Emma Johansson and Tatiana Guderzo in the sprint to the line.
Who Is Nicole Cooke
Nicole Cooke was born on April 13, 1983, Cooke is a Welsh road bicycle racer and Olympic gold medalist. Cooke was born in Swansea and grew up in Wick, Vale of Glamorgan. She began cycling at the age of 11. At 16 she won her first senior national title, youngest rider to take the senior women's title at the British National Road Race Championships. In 2001 she was awarded the Bidlake Memorial Prize, given for outstanding performance or contribution to the betterment of cycling. She also won four junior world titles including 2001 held in Portugal.
Cooke represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Women's Road Race event where she won the gold medal; this was also the 200th gold medal for Great Britain in the history of the Modern Olympic Games.
