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Team GB make Olympic history

19/08/2008

Great Britain's remarkable success at the Olympic Games is now officially the best performance by a British Olympic team in 100 years.

Christine Ohuruogu came from behind to win the 400m gold - Team GB's 16th gold medal of these games - which makes it the most successful Olympics since 1908.

In another extremely successful day for Team GB, Scottish cyclist Chris Hoy became the first Briton to win three golds in a Games for 100 years, when he beat GB's Jason Kenny in the sprint final.

As expected, Victoria Pendleton won the women's version of the sprint, while sailor Paul Goodison, needing to simply avoid finishing last to win gold, finished fourth in the final race of the Laser class.

High jumper Germaine Mason also won a surprise silver medal.

British Olympic Association chef de mission Simon Clegg was delighted with another day full of wonderful individual performances.

"It has been another outstanding day and a great gold medal on the track by Christine who ran a fantastic race," he said.

With five days of competition still remaining, this is already the second best display ever produced by a team of British Olympians.

In 1908, a British team competing on home soil in London, claimed 56 gold medals among an overall total of 146 medals.

That total is unlikely to ever be surpassed by a British team, but this group are making records of their own.

Hoy is the first British athlete to win three medals in one summer Games since swimmer Henry Taylor at the London Games in 1908.

"I was vaguely aware of the history, people tell you about it. But I tried to make it the furthest thought from my mind," said the 32-year-old Hoy.

"And that's why the emotions come out at the end. You bottle it for so long that it just erupts at the end."

Team GB now have 33 medals in total – which keeps them in third place in the overall medal table.

Eight of the 16 gold medals have come for the cyclists, three from the sailors, two from the rowers, two for the swimmers, and one from the athletics track.

Gordon Brown paid tribute to the athletes, saying that he was looking forward to congratulating them in person when he attends Sunday's closing ceremony.

There will also be a celebratory parade for the medal winners through the streets of London on October 16th.