Copywriting - Nicole Cooke's win represents 200 British golds in modern games

On day two of the summer Olympics in Beijing, Welshwoman Nicole Cooke grasped Britain's first gold of the games after crossing the line of the women's 126km cycling road race.

Cooke, 25, always represented one of Britain's brightest hopes for a gold medal. Her performance - and particularly her fantastic sprint over the final 200m of the race - outshone expectations. Her gold medal brings Britain's total over the history of the modern Summer Olympic games to 200 golds.

In an exciting race, Cooke sat in a chasing pack of four, all of whom seemed to be in contention for gold. Within the final kilometer, the British leader lost contact on a bend and, recovering, dug deep to get back into the medals. Making a solid break from the pack, she drew on her legendary strength and stormed across the line in the pouring rain to clinch victory. Sweden's Emma Johannson and Italy's Tatiana Guderzo took silver and bronze.

Like many solo sports, the victory of a single cyclist's win is underpinned by a network of dedicated and passionate experts. In Nicole Cooke's case, she praised the team who helped her to victory, including British Cycling's Performance Director Dave Brailsford and Team GB's Chef de Mission Simon Clegg.

Cooke, who started racing in 2004, was ranked UCI world number one in 2006 and 2007. Her superstar credentials were clear even as a junior: she won four world titles in the space of a year.

Nicole now adds Olympic gold, the ultimate prize for any sportsperson, to a heaving medal cabinet which already houses a host of gongs, including Commonwealth Games gold and the sport's youngest ever World Cup win