Bradley Wiggins makes history

  • Last Updated: August 1 2012, 21:50 BST

Bradley Wiggins became Great Britain's most decorated Olympian ever with an imperious victory in the London 2012 time-trial on Wednesday.

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  • Wiggins: Another Olympic gold medal
  • The Tour de France champion stormed the course 
  • And it turned out to be an imperious victory 
  • Wiggins takes his rightful place on the winners' throne... 
  • Before collecting his gold medal 

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The 32-year-old, who is also the first man to win the Tour de France and an Olympic title in the same year, claimed his fourth career Games gold and seventh medal in all to surpass Sir Steve Redgrave's haul.

Wiggins was the penultimate of 37 riders to take to the course and completed the 44-kilometre route in 50 minutes 39 seconds to triumph by 42 seconds, with fellow Briton Chris Froome third in 51mins 47secs.

World champion Tony Martin of Germany clocked 51:21 to claim silver while defending champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland was seventh, 2:14 behind.

  • Bradley Wiggins wrote his name further into the record books with a stunning gold medal performance in the time trial
  • The day got off to a tough start for Luis Leon Sanchez who snapped a chain coming off the ramp
  • Chris Froome was the first Brit off the line and was fastest as he went through the splits
  • Taylor Phinney had been preparing hard and was in the medal hunt
  • Defending champion Fabian Cancellara exits Hampton Court Palace...
  • ...As did world champion Tony Martin
  • The crowd roared on Wiggins along the 44-kilometre route
  • They had all come to see a British gold medal
  • As the time checks came in it became clear that the Brit was on a mission
  • Wiggins did not disappoint, taking victory by 42 seconds
  • In doing so he became the most decorated British Olympian of all time
  • The medal sits alongside his Tour de France victory as part of a stunning season
  • Chris Froome also made the podium for Britain after taking bronze
  • Martin finished things off with second but was no match for Wiggins
  • It was another proud moment for Wiggins and Team Sky
  • Earlier in the day Emma Pooley represented Team GB's best hopes of a medal in the women's event
  • Kristin Armstrong began as pre-race favourite having taken gold in Beijing
  • Following her success in Sunday's road race Lizzie Armitstead took 10th, while Pooley claimed sixth
  • Armstrong was fastest through each split to take gold
  • The American was joined on the podium by Judith Arndt (Germany) and Olga Zabelinskaya (Russia)
All the best images from Hampton Court Palace as Bradley Wiggins claimed a superb gold medal.

Wiggins said: "To go out there today and put a performance like that together nine days after the Tour and win another Olympic title in another event, it is never, ever going to get any better than that.

"There is almost slight melancholy. I realised on the podium that that's probably it for me. I don't think anything is going to top that."

Wiggins has won three individual titles and one team gold medal and seven medals in all in a range of disciplines from 4km in the individual and team pursuit, to the 40km Madison and the time-trial.

The British record haul, which, given five-time medallist Sir Chris Hoy is competing in two events in the velodrome, is now set to stand until Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Wiggins, who plans a vodka tonic celebration, said: "To be mentioned in the same breath as people like Steve Redgrave and Chris Hoy is an honour. Ultimately it's all about the gold medals once you've been Olympic champion.

"The other ones, you don't really talk about them. When somebody says how many medals have you won at the Olympics? Normally you say 'I've won three golds', never 'a silver and two bronze'.

"There was only one colour today. The most important statistic is number four for me and not number seven."

Wiggins could target a fifth in Rio, depending on the reaction of his wife Cath.

He added: "I could envisage, depending on what my wife thinks, going back to the track in the team pursuit where it all started and trying to win a fifth. But that's a long way off."

  • Helen Glover and Heather Stanning became Team GB's first gold medal winners in the women's pair at Dorney Lake.
  • Glover and Stanning are the first British women rowers to win gold medals.
  • Soon after, the men's eight rowed their way to bronze behind Germany and Canada.
  • Jack Oliver set a new personal best in the men's 77kg weightlifting.
  • Georgina Geikie failed to progress in the 25m air pistol.
  • Emma Pooley finished sixth in the women's cycling time trial at Hampton Court.
  • Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins pushing hard in the men's time-trial.
  • Wiggins won his fourth Olympic gold by a margin of 42 seconds.
  • Wiggins flanked by silver medallist Tony Martin with Team GB's Chris Froome claiming bronze.
  • Amy Oliver knocked world number one Deepika Kumari out of the women's archery competition before herself departing.
  • Ashley Jackson scored a late equaliser as Great Britain's men's hockey team drew 2-2 with South Africa.
  • Andy Murray lost the first set to Marcos Baghdatis but fought back to earn a place in the men's singles quarter-finals.
  • Great Britain's women's basketball team lost 61-67 to European champions Russia
  • Scottish swimmer Michael Jamieson brought further medal glory for Great Britain when he won silver in the 200m breaststroke.
  • Hull boxer Luke Campbell moved a step closer to a medal with a hard-fought victory in the bantamweight class.
  • Daniel Sturridge is mobbed after scoring the only goal of the game against Uruguay, sending GB through to the last eight.
Images of British athletes in action at the London 2012 Olympic Games on Wednesday August 1.

Qualifying in the men's team pursuit takes place in the velodrome on Thursday, with finals on Friday, and Wiggins plans to watch his former colleagues, as well as Hoy, in the keirin.

As for the longer-term future - the prospect of a knighthood, winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year and all the other accolades - Wiggins is uncertain.

"You train all year for the physical aspect, to try and get the results; you can't train or plan for what comes next," added Wiggins, who has been in peerless form all season.

"I don't know what comes next. External perception might change, but inside you're still the same person.

"You want to go back to normal life. Whether that happens or not is a different thing. You just deal with it as you go along - it's why people end up in The Priory, I guess.

"I'm glad it's over. I've lived for August 1 for nine months knowing it was all going to be over and I could go and have a vodka tonic.

"It's here now. It's done and I've won the Tour and I've won the Olympics, Paris-Nice and all those other races."

Wiggins, who grew up in London and now lives in Lancashire, hopes to have helped to leave a legacy after being spurred on by the partisan crowd.

"Something like today, whether you're first or last, someone will be inspired out there who is watching it," he added.

"The great thing about cycling is when this is all over in a couple of weeks anyone can go and ride that circuit and pretend they're one of us.

"Hopefully that will be the legacy the road events leave."

Wiggins's performance left his compatriots and rivals purring.

British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford said: "To pull off a performance like that off the back of what he's been through over the last few weeks is - phew - off the scale."

Brailsford believes Wiggins's versatility, as well as the statistics, distinguishes him as Britain's best Olympian.

"I don't think anybody can touch that," Brailsford added.

Martin beat Wiggins to the world title in 2011, but was runner-up on this occasion.

"This year he's unbeatable," Martin said.

Cancellara said: "He had his perfect ride today. He's on another level."