Olympic Gold

LONDON (AP)


Former world champion Mariana Pajon won the women's BMX competition, giving Colombia its first gold at the London Olympics last Friday.

Pajon, her country's flagbearer at the opening ceremony, led from the start on the challenging course and crossed the line in 37.706 seconds after a flawless run.
With David Beckham watching from the stands, Pajon hit form at the right time after being hampered by a shoulder injury earlier this season.
''I've been trying to win this my whole life. I just wanted go out of the gate and win it. It's unbelievable,'' she said.

Seconds after crossing the line, Pajon blew kisses to the capacity crowd as members of the Colombian team started to celebrate. She then was cheered by a couple dozen Colombian fans packed into a small section of the stands.

Pajon credited her win on the dangerous and technical course to the quick start coming out of the first corner ahead of her rivals. Pajon had posted three consecutive wins in the semifinals earlier Friday.

''I have tried so hard for it, and I just did it,'' she said. ''I felt really strong, I had really good gates and that's it. I really had fun on it. ... I have to wake up tomorrow and realize what I have just won.''

Sarah Walker of New Zealand claimed silver and Laura Smulders of the Netherlands took bronze.
Home favorite Shanaze Reade of Britain, who crashed out of the final in Beijing four years ago, was never in contention and ended sixth.

Olympic BMX Results

LONDON (AP)


Former world champion Mariana Pajon won the women's BMX competition, giving Colombia its first gold at the London Olympics on Friday.

Pajon, her country's flagbearer at the opening ceremony, led from the start on the challenging course and crossed the line in 37.706 seconds after a flawless run.
With David Beckham watching from the stands, Pajon hit form at the right time after being hampered by a shoulder injury earlier this season.

''I've been trying to win this my whole life. I just wanted go out of the gate and win it. It's unbelievable,'' she said.

Seconds after crossing the line, Pajon blew kisses to the capacity crowd as members of the Colombian team started to celebrate. She then was cheered by a couple dozen Colombian fans packed into a small section of the stands.

Pajon credited her win on the dangerous and technical course to the quick start coming out of the first corner ahead of her rivals. Pajon had posted three consecutive wins in the semifinals earlier Friday.

''I have tried so hard for it, and I just did it,'' she said. ''I felt really strong, I had really good gates and that's it. I really had fun on it. ... I have to wake up tomorrow and realize what I have just won.''
Sarah Walker of New Zealand claimed silver and Laura Smulders of the Netherlands took bronze.
Home favorite Shanaze Reade of Britain, who crashed out of the final in Beijing four years ago, was never in contention and ended sixth.

''The race schedule has been pretty hard, with the back-to-back laps,'' she said. ''It's been hard to recover. I just tried to stay focused and do my absolute best, but today it just wasn't good enough.''
Reade praised Pajon for her consecutive wins in the semifinals and final.
''I don't know how she's gone today, but she's obviously a fantastic athlete,'' Reade said.

Olympic rikshaw traveler

Athletes aren't the only ones who are accomplishing amazing things at the 2012 Summer Olympics. To spread the Olympics spirit, an Olympics super fan cycled his rickshaw all the way from China to London for the Games in a feat that took him two years.
Chen Guanming, 57, is a farmer from China who started his journey to the Olympics in April 2010 to support the Olympic athletes and to spread the Olympics spirit to all he encountered along the way.
"I came to support and cheer all the people from all over the world who are participating in the sports," Chen said as quoted by the NY Daily News, "I'm volunteering, I'm not looking for a reward."

For over two years, Guanming rode his three-wheeled rickshaw across 16 countries and it was no simple task. He faced several obstacles including floods, mountains, severe temperatures and even war zones to arrive in London on July 6.
He faced such high heat in the first few countries that he passed, that he would have to wring out the sweat from his clothes. When he reached Thailand, flooding made his trip even more difficult.
Guanming's passport is full of stamps and visas, but he was unable to obtain a visa to Burma, so he had to change his plans and travel through Tibet where he had to climb mountains over 20,000 feet high on his rickshaw.
However that wasn't the worst of it. Guanming traveled through Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to Turkey, where he was snowed in for four days in under 22 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. Being trapped in the cold and facing Thailand's floods were the worst part, Guanmino claims, according to the NY Daily News.
He finally reached Britain after taking a ferry from France on July 6.
Guanming was able to support himself with donations from friends and strangers as well as by delivering goods.
His rickshaw is covered with photos of his adventures along the way. He has pictures of himself standing in front of landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
This isn't the first time Guanming has made an Olympic rickshaw journey. When China won its Olympics bid in 2001, he rode from his village in the Jiangsu province through 1,764 cities to Beijing. He spent his time cleaning litter near the Olympic Park. He was able to get a seat to the closing ceremony of the Olympics.  He was given a ticket to the opening ceremonies in London. 

Olympic Cycling Results

The Dutch rider edged ahead at the end of a pulsating 140km race, which featured two climbs of Surrey's Box Hill.


With the peloton cast adrift, Great Britain's Lizzie Armitstead was in line for the Host Nation's first medal of the Games, but the question remained which colour.

Armitstead positioned herself behind Vos entering the finishing straight, but the Dutchwoman was strong enough to hold off the Briton, who had to settle for second.

Russia's Olga Zabelinskaya was third.

I knew I had a big chance but I also knew that if I made a little mistake then Lizzie would take the gold.

Marianne VosVos, who suffered a broken collarbone just two months ago, said after the dramatic sprint finish: 'I knew Lizzie was really fast on the line so I was not at all confident.

'I knew I had a big chance but I also knew that if I made a little mistake then Lizzie would take the gold.

'So I had to choose the right moment at the finish and, yeah, I think I did.'

London 2012 Olympic Cycling - Track

At the London 2012 Olympic Games, there are 10 gold medals in nine sessions up for grabs over six action-packed days in the Track Cycling competition.


Cycling has a long and fascinating history in the UK. As early as 1870, large crowds were drawn to races held in England on indoor wooden tracks, which closely resembled the velodromes of today.

Did you know...

In February 2011, the Velodrome became the first competition venue in the Olympic Park to be completed. At Beijing 2008, Chris Hoy became the first British athlete to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games since 1908. Track Cycling was held indoors at the Olympic Games for the first time at Montreal 1976. Track bikes have a fixed wheel and no brakes: riders stop by putting pressure on the pedals.

Competition dates

Thursday 2 – Tuesday 7 August

London 2012 Olympic Cycling - Road

At London 2012, a quartet of challenging, exciting Road Cycling events will energise the streets of London and Surrey.

According to popular legend, the first ever bicycle race was held in Paris in 1868 and was won by a 19-year-old cyclist from Suffolk named James Moore. It goes without saying that the sport has grown since these humble beginnings. More than 140 years after Moore’s triumph, Road Cycling events draw huge crowds and enormous TV audiences around the world. The four Olympic medal events at London 2012 should see the streets of London and Surrey packed with passionate fans. They are likely to be among the largest road cycling events of all time.

The first bicycle is thought to have been created by a Frenchman, Comte de Sivrac, in 1790. However, it wasn’t very functional: it lacked a steering system and pedals, and was made of a wooden frame and solid wheels.The first Olympic Games Road Race in 1896 was from Athens to Marathon, and back again. Only six riders took part.Canada’s Clara Hughes is one of only four people to have won medals at the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. In Atlanta 1996, she took bronze in the Individual Road Race and Individual Time Trial, while in Salt Lake City 2002 she won bronze in the 5000m Speed Skating.Previous

Competition dates

Saturday 28, Sunday 29 July, and Wednesday 1 August

London Olympics 2012 Cycling - Mountain Bike

Rocky paths, tricky climbs and technical descents provide plenty of challenges for riders in the Mountain Bike competition.


Much like BMX, Mountain Biking is a young sport that has risen to worldwide popularity at an amazing rate. Fast and furious, the sport developed in northern California during the 1970s. However, it quickly spread from its low-key beginnings and now has a huge following around the globe, which has only grown since its arrival on the Olympic program in 1996.

Did you know...

Road Cycling did not feature on the Olympic programme at the Paris 1900, St Louis 1904 or London 1908 Games, but has appeared at every Games since 1912.

Events are scheduled for July 28, 29, and August 1

London Olympics 2012 - Cycling - BMX

Having made its debut at the Beijing 2008 Games, the fast and furious sport of BMX makes its second Olympic appearance at the London 2012 Games and is the most recent discipline to have been added to the program.

Taking place at the BMX Track in the Olympic Park, the London 2012 competition will see 48 competitors (32 men and 16 women) compete over three days from Wednesday 8 to Friday 10 August.

The brand new 400-metre BMX Track is located next to the Velodrome in the north of the Olympic Park. The entire venue covers a total area of 160m by 90m, slightly larger than the size of a football pitch. All athlete entries will be confirmed following the sport entries deadline on 9 July 2012.