Jump to content

Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Wasabi OS (talk | contribs) at 14:14, 2 September 2024 (Removed unnecessary repetition in the lead paragraph). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Great Britain at the
2008 Summer Olympics
Flag of the United Kingdom
IOC codeGBR
NOCBritish Olympic Association
in Beijing
Competitors311[2] in 20 sports
Flag bearers Mark Foster (opening)
Chris Hoy (closing)
Officials236[1]
Medals
Ranked 4th
Gold
19
Silver
13
Bronze
19
Total
51
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.[3] The United Kingdom was represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. Britain is one of only five NOCs to have competed in every modern Summer Olympic Games since 1896. The delegation of 547 people included 311 competitors – 168 men, 143 women – and 236 officials. The team was made up of athletes from the whole United Kingdom including Northern Ireland (whose people may elect to hold Irish citizenship and are able to be selected to represent either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympics).[4] Additionally some British overseas territories compete separately from Britain in Olympic competition.

Great Britain's medal performance at the 2008 Summer Olympics was its best in a century; at the close of the Games, the total medal count, 47, was also the fourth highest Great Britain had ever achieved. Only its performance at the 1908 Summer Olympics, which Britain hosted in London, resulted in more gold medals being awarded.[5] Following retests of doping samples in 2016 in connection with the Russian doping scandal, four further medals, all bronze, were awarded in athletics, retrospectively increasing the total gained to 51. As of 1 July 2020, the award of the bronze medals to both the Men's and Women's 4 × 400 metres relay teams and the upgrade of Goldie Sayers to bronze in the Women's javelin, confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), brought the official medal total to 50, after which the confirmation of Kelly Sotherton receiving her second reallocated bronze medal in the Women's Heptathlon (having been part of the Women's 4 × 400 metre team) took the total number of medals won to 51.

Great Britain finished 4th overall in the medal tables, a target previously set by UK Sport, the public body responsible for distributing funding to elite sport, for the 2012 Games. UK Sport considered whether to target 3rd place in the 2012 Games, which was hosted by the United Kingdom in London.[6]

The outstanding individual achievement for a British athlete at the Games was when cyclist Chris Hoy became the first British athlete in 100 years to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games.

Because London was to be host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics, a British segment featuring football star David Beckham was performed during the closing ceremony.

Medallists

Further information: 2008 Summer Olympics medal table

The following British competitors won medals at the Games, all dates are August 2008.[7] In the 'by discipline' sections below, medallists' names are in bold.

Multiple medallists

The following Team GB competitors won multiple medals at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Name Medal Sport Event
Chris Hoy  Gold
 Gold
 Gold		 Cycling Men's team sprint
Men's sprint
Men's keirin
Bradley Wiggins  Gold
 Gold		 Cycling Men's team pursuit
Men's individual pursuit
Rebecca Adlington  Gold
 Gold		 Swimming Women's 400 m freestyle
Women's 800 m freestyle
Jason Kenny  Gold
 Silver		 Cycling Men's team sprint
Men's sprint
Tim Brabants  Gold
 Bronze		 Canoeing Men's K-1 1000 m
Men's K-1 500 m
Christine Ohuruogu  Gold
 Bronze		 Athletics Women's 400 metres
Women's 4 × 400 metres relay
Tina Cook  Bronze
 Bronze		 Equestrian Team eventing
Individual eventing
Kelly Sotherton  Bronze
 Bronze		 Athletics Women's 4 × 400 metres relay
Women's heptathlon

Targets

In June 2008, UK Sport, which distributes National Lottery funding to elite sport, published its expectations for the Games. It identified 41 potential medals to target and expected to win 35 of them, including 10 to 12 gold medals and to finish 8th in the overall medal table.[8] Team GB exceeded the gold medal expectations on 19 August when Paul Goodison earned Britain's 13th gold medal in the men's Laser class. The minimum medal target, of 35 medals, was passed on 20 August when they claimed their 36th medal – a bronze in the women's RS:X, won by Bryony Shaw. The total medal target was equalled when canoeist Tim Brabants took gold in the men's 1000 m K-1 claiming Britain's 41st physical medal (three further medals were guaranteed in boxing at the time).[9] They later exceeded the total number of targeted medals when Heather Fell secured the silver in women's modern pentathlon.[10]

The medals claimed were not all ones that had been targeted, with Team GB falling short of targets in some disciplines whilst exceeding them in others. Nine out of seventeen disciplines met their targets. The British cyclists, for example doubled their medal target on 19 August when Victoria Pendleton won Britain's 12th cycling medal, a gold in the women's sprint.[11] A further two medals were already guaranteed at this stage in the men's individual sprint, where gold and silver were soon won by Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny respectively.[12] In all Team GB won seven of the ten gold medals up for grabs at the velodrome. The swimmers also managed to double the targeted number of medals in their sport when David Davies won the team's sixth swimming medal – a silver medal in the men's 10 km open water marathon on 21 August.[13] Despite the men's and women's archery teams having come second and third respectively at the 2007 world championships, British archers were unable to win either of their targeted medals. This led to criticism of the tactics used by head coach Peter Suk from members of the team.[14][15]

Medal ceremony at the men's team pursuit.
Sport Target Won Target met
Archery 2 0 Red XN
Athletics 5 8 Green tickY
Badminton 1 0 Red XN
Boxing 2 3 Green tickY
Canoeing 2 3 Green tickY
Cycling 6 14 Green tickY
Diving 1 0 Red XN
Equestrian 3 2 Red XN
Gymnastics (artistic) 1 1 Green tickY
Judo 2 0 Red XN
Modern pentathlon 1 1 Green tickY
Rowing 4 6 Green tickY
Sailing 4 6 Green tickY
Shooting 2 0 Red XN
Swimming 3 6 Green tickY
Taekwondo 1 1 Green tickY
Triathlon 1 0 Red XN
Total 41 51 Green tickY
Total expected 35 51 Green tickY
Total gold 12 19 Green tickY

Archery

Main article: Archery at the 2008 Summer Olympics

At the 2007 World Outdoor Target Championships, Great Britain's men's team placed second and its women's team placed third. This qualified the nation to send full teams of three men and three women to the Olympics.[16]

Men
Athlete Event Ranking round Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semi-finals Final / BM
Score Seed Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
Laurence Godfrey Individual 657 34  Badënov (RUS) (31)
L 109–114 		Did not advance
Simon Terry 670 7  Hatava (FIN) (58)
L 104–105 		Did not advance
Alan Wills 661 21  Nespoli (ITA) (44)
W 103–98 		 Galiazzo (ITA) (12)
W 110–109 		 Stevens (CUB) (28)
L 104–108 		Did not advance
Laurence Godfrey
Simon Terry
Alan Wills 		Team 1998 5 —  China (CHN) (12)
L 210–214 		Did not advance
Women
Athlete Event Ranking round Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semi-finals Final / BM
Score Seed Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
Charlotte Burgess Individual 623 40  Guo D (CHN) (25)
W 106–104 		 Folkard (GBR) (8)
L 96–110 		Did not advance
Naomi Folkard 651 8  Abed Elaal (EGY) (57)
W 107–95 		 Burgess (GBR) (40)
W 110–96 		 Hayakawa (JPN) (9)
L 97–106 		Did not advance
Alison Williamson 651 7  Wei P-H (TPE) (58)
W 108–99 		 Lorig (USA) (26)
L 108–112 		Did not advance
Charlotte Burgess
Naomi Folkard
Alison Williamson 		Team 1925 2 — Bye  Japan (JPN) (7)
W 201–196 		 China (CHN) (3)
L 202–208 		 France (FRA) (5)
L 201–203 		4

Athletics

Christine Ohuruogu after her victory in the women's 400 m.
Main article: Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The initial squad was selected for the British team on 14 July; however, the final team was not confirmed until the outcome of a court case involving Dwain Chambers.[17] Under the rules of the BOA, Chambers had been banned from future Games after testing positive for the steroid THG in 2003. His appeal to overturn that ban, on the grounds that it was an unfair restraint of trade, failed and he was omitted from the squad.[18] The team included former Olympic medal winners Marlon Devonish and Kelly Sotherton, as well as former Olympic individual finalists Joanne Pavey, Paula Radcliffe, Helen Clitheroe and Tasha Danvers. Women's marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe faced a battle to be fit for the Games due to a stress fracture in her left thigh.[19] She eventually proved fit enough to start the race but struggled to finish in 23rd position.[20]

A total of four medals were won, one gold, two silver and one bronze. UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins stood down after the Games. This was due in part to the team's failure to meet the UK Sport target of winning five medals.[8][21] Ironically, a series of retests ordered in the wake of the Russian doping scandal in 2015 and 2016 found that Great Britain athletes had been deprived of medals in a further four events by athletes later confirmed to have doped – the women's heptathlon (Kelly Sotherton), the men's and women's 4 x 400-metre relay teams and women's javelin (Goldie Sayers). When these medals are redistributed, Great Britain's 2008 athletics total of eight medals will be its most successful since the second world war, and 75% over target.[22]

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • NR = National record
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
Men
Track & road events
Athlete Event Heat Quarter-final Semi-final Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Tyrone Edgar 100 m 10.13 1 Q 10.10 3 Q 10.18 7 Did not advance
Craig Pickering 10.21 3 Q 10.18 5 Did not advance
Simeon Williamson 10.42 3 Q 10.32 4 Did not advance
Marlon Devonish 200 m 20.49 1 Q 20.43 4 Q 20.57 7 Did not advance
Christian Malcolm 20.42 2 Q 20.30 4 Q 20.25 4 Q 20.40 5
Alex Nelson Withdrew due to hamstring injury
Martyn Rooney 400 m 45.00 1 Q — 44.60 2 Q 45.12 6
Andrew Steele 44.94 1 Q — 45.59 7 Did not advance
Michael Rimmer 800 m 1:47.61 1 Q — 1:48.07 6 Did not advance
Andrew Baddeley 1500 m 3:36.47 3 Q — 3:37.47 3 Q 3:35.37 8
Thomas Lancashire 3:43.40 7 — Did not advance
Mo Farah 5000 m 13:50.95 6 — Did not advance
Allan Scott 110 m hurdles 13.56 3 Q 13.66 6 Did not advance
Andy Turner 13.56 2 Q 13.53 5 Did not advance
Andrew Lemoncello 3000 m steeplechase 8:36.06 10 — did not advance
Marlon Devonish
Tyrone Edgar
Craig Pickering
Simeon Williamson 		4 × 100 m relay DSQ — Did not advance
Michael Bingham
Richard Buck*
Dale Garland*
Martyn Rooney
Andrew Steele
Rob Tobin 		4 × 400 m relay 2:59.33 1 Q — 2:58.81 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Dan Robinson Marathon — 2:16:14 24

* Qualified for the team, but did not compete in any of the rounds

Field events
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Distance Position Distance Position
Greg Rutherford Long jump 8.16 3 Q 7.84 10
Chris Tomlinson 7.70 27 did not advance
Larry Achike Triple jump 17.18 7 Q 17.17 7
Nathan Douglas 16.72 20 did not advance
Phillips Idowu 17.44 1 Q 17.62 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Martyn Bernard High jump 2.29 =6 Q 2.25 9
Germaine Mason 2.29 =1 Q 2.34 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Tom Parsons 2.25 12 Q 2.25 8
Steve Lewis Pole vault NM — did not advance
Combined events – Decathlon
Athlete Event 100 m LJ SP HJ 400 m 110H DT PV JT 1500 m Final Rank
Daniel Awde Result 11.06 7.12 12.03 1.78 47.16 14.69 37.12 4.90 53.10 4:44.80 7516 20
Points 847 842 608 610 950 887 606 880 636 650
Women
Track & road events
Athlete Event Heat Quarter-final Semi-final Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Montell Douglas 100 m 11.36 2 Q 11.38 4 did not advance
Jeanette Kwakye 11.30 2 Q 11.18 3 Q 11.19 3 Q 11.14 6
Laura Turner 11.65 4 did not advance
Emily Freeman 200 m 22.95 2 Q 22.95 3 Q 22.83 7 Did not advance
Lee McConnell 400 m 51.87 3 Q — 52.11 6 did not advance
Christine Ohuruogu 51.00 1 Q — 50.14 1 Q 49.62 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Nicola Sanders 51.81 2 Q — 50.71 4 Did not advance
Jennifer Meadows 800 m 2:00.33 3 Q — 1:59.43 6 Did not advance
Marilyn Okoro 1:59.01 2 Q — 1:59.53 6 Did not advance
Jemma Simpson 2:02.16 4 — Did not advance
Lisa Dobriskey 1500 m 4:03.22 3 Q — 4:02.10 4
Susan Scott 4:14.66 4 — Did not advance
Stephanie Twell 4:06.68 6 — Did not advance
Jo Pavey 5000 m Withdrew due to fatigue
10000 m — 31:12.30 12
Kate Reed 10000 m — 32:26.69 23
Sarah Claxton 100 m hurdles 12.97 3 Q — 12.84 4 Q 12.94 8
Tasha Danvers 400 m hurdles 55.19 1 Q — 54.31 2 Q 53.84 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Helen Clitheroe 3000 m steeplechase 9:29.14 NR 6 — Did not advance
Barbara Parker 9:51.93 12 — Did not advance
Emma Ania
Montell Douglas
Emily Freeman
Jeanette Kwakye
Ashleigh Nelson*
Anyika Onuora*
Laura Turner* 		4 × 100 m relay 43.02 2 Q — DNF
Vicki Barr*
Donna Fraser*
Lee McConnell*
Christine Ohuruogu
Marilyn Okoro
Nicola Sanders
Kelly Sotherton 		4 × 400 m relay 3:25.48 3 Q — 3:22.68 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Paula Radcliffe Marathon — 2:32:38 23
Mara Yamauchi — 2:27:29 6
Liz Yelling — 2:33:12 26
Johanna Jackson 20 km walk — 1:31:33 NR 22

* Qualified for the team, but did not compete in any of the rounds

Field events
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Distance Position Distance Position
Jade Johnson Long jump 6.61 11 q 6.64 7
Kate Dennison Pole vault 4.40 15 did not advance
Philippa Roles Discus throw 57.44 27 Did not advance
Zoe Derham Hammer throw 64.74 35 Did not advance
Goldie Sayers Javelin throw 62.99 5 Q 65.75 NR 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Combined events – Heptathlon
Athlete Event 100H HJ SP 200 m LJ JT 800 m Final Rank
Julie Hollman Result 14.43 1.77 12.45 25.41 6.13 39.08 2:22.54 5729 31*
Points 918 941 691 850 890 650 789
Kelly Sotherton Result 13.18 1.83 13.87 23.39 6.33 37.66 2:07.34 6517 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Points 1097 1016 785 1040 953 622 1004

* The athlete who finished in second place, Lyudmila Blonska of the Ukraine, tested positive for a banned substance.[23][24] Both the A and the B tests were positive, therefore Blonska was stripped of her silver medal, and both British heptathletes moved up a position.

Badminton

Main article: Badminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Six British badminton players went to the Games, competing in four out of the five badminton events. They did not win any medals, thus failing to reach the one medal target set by UK Sport.[8] The mixed doubles pairing of Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson, who won silver in the 2004 tournament, progressed furthest amongst the British athletes, reaching the quarterfinals.

Athlete Event Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semi-final Final / BM
Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
Andrew Smith Men's singles  Koukal (CZE)
W 10–21, 21–12, 21–15 		 Zwiebler (GER)
L 16–21, 21–13, 21–17 		Did not advance
Tracey Hallam Women's singles  Yip P Y (HKG)
W 21–15, 21–17 		 Ludíková (CZE)
W 21–18, 21–13 		 Xu Hw (GER)
L 7–21, 10–21 		Did not advance
Gail Emms
Donna Kellogg 		Women's doubles —  Chien Y C /
Cheng W H (TPE)
L 19–21, 13–21 		Did not advance
Anthony Clark
Donna Kellogg 		Mixed doubles —  He Hb /
Yu Y (CHN)
L 15–21, 8–21 		Did not advance
Gail Emms
Nathan Robertson 		—  Zheng B /
Gao L (CHN)
W 21–16, 16–21, 21–19 		 Lee Y-d /
Lee H-j (KOR)
L 19–21, 12–21 		Did not advance

Boxing

Main article: Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

A total of eight boxers qualified. David Price and Tony Jeffries both won bronze medals in the super heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions respectively. Middleweight James DeGale won a gold medal in the middleweight class. It was the first time that Great Britain has won more than one medal in boxing in a single games since 1972, and the best result for Great Britain in boxing since 1956.[25][26][27]

Athlete Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semi-finals Final
Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Rank
Khalid Yafai Flyweight Bye  Laffita (CUB)
L 3–9 		Did not advance
Joe Murray Bantamweight  Yu G (CHN)
L 7–17 		Did not advance
Frankie Gavin Lightweight Withdrew – Failed to make weight[28]
Bradley Saunders Light welterweight  Neequaye (GHA)
W 24–1 KO 		 Vastine (FRA)
L 7–11 		Did not advance
Billy Joe Saunders Welterweight  Kılıççı (TUR)
W 14–3 		 Banteaux (CUB)
L 6–13 		Did not advance
James DeGale Middleweight  Hikal (EGY)
W 13–4 		 Estrada (USA)
W 11–5 		 Artayev (KAZ)
W 8–3 		 Sutherland (IRL)
W 10–3 		 Correa (CUB)
W 16–14 		1st place, gold medalist(s)
Tony Jeffries Light heavyweight Bye  Alvarez (COL)
W 5+–5 		 Szello (HUN)
W 10–2 		 Egan (IRL)
L 3–10 		Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
David Price Super heavyweight —  Timurziev (RUS)
W RSC 		 Jakšto (LTU)
W 3–1 		 Cammarelle (ITA)
L 1–11 		Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

Canoeing

Main article: Canoeing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Seven competitors joined Team GB for the canoeing events, with four in the flatwater and three in the slalom. Anna Hemmings and Jessica Walker, in the K-2 kayaking pairs, were added later after complications with the Spanish team.[29] Three medals were won, two by Tim Brabants, who had previously won a bronze at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. This exceeded the target of two set by UK Sport.[8]

Slalom

Athlete Event Preliminary Semi-final Final
Run 1 Rank Run 2 Rank Total Rank Time Rank Time Rank Total Rank
David Florence Men's C-1 89.47 7 82.16 1 171.63 3 Q 90.46 4 Q 89.43 2 178.61 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Campbell Walsh Men's K-1 86.72 14 85.72 8 172.44 9 Q 95.74 16 Did not advance
Fiona Pennie Women's K-1 160.06 19 99.00 7 259.06 17 Did not advance

Sprint

Athlete Event Heats Semi-finals Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Tim Brabants Men's K-1 500 m 1:36.338 1 QS 1:42.530 3 Q 1:37.671 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Men's K-1 1000 m 3:27.828 1 QF Bye 3:26.323 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Lucy Wainwright Women's K-1 500 m 1:50.103 3 QS 1:52.580 2 Q 1:53.102 7
Anna Hemmings
Jessica Walker 		Women's K-2 500 m 1:47.435 9 Did not advance

Qualification Legend: QS = Qualify to semi-final; QF = Qualify directly to final

Cycling

Main article: Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Triple gold medallist Chris Hoy.

Team GB's cycling squad for Beijing totalled twenty five entrants in the four disciplines. Included were two reigning Olympic track cycling champions, Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins, plus a further two medal winners from 2004, as well as several reigning track world champions. Great Britain won fourteen cycling medals (eight gold, four silver and two bronze) in total to top the cycling medal table. The Cycling team won the BBC Sports team of the year award and was nominated for Laureus World team of the year.

On the track Mark Cavendish was the only member of the squad of fourteen not to win at least one medal. Chris Hoy became Scotland's most successful Olympic competitor ever,[30] and the first Briton to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games since Henry Taylor in 1908.[12] His success resulted in the velodrome for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow being named in his honour.[31] Rebecca Romero became the first British woman to win a medal in two different Olympic sports by following her silver medal in the quadruple sculls rowing in 2004 with gold in the women's individual pursuit.[32]

In the debut appearance of BMX events at the Olympics, world champion Shanaze Reade finished out of the medals after crashing out of the women's final. Reade had been unbeaten all year and was the favourite to win the women's title.[33]

On the road Nicole Cooke's win in the women's road race provided the first Olympic gold for an athlete from Wales since Richard Meade in 1972.[34]

Road

Men
Athlete Event Time Rank
Jonathan Bellis Road race Did not finish
Steve Cummings Road race Did not finish
Time trial 1:05:07 11
Roger Hammond Road race Did not finish
Ben Swift Did not finish
Women
Athlete Event Time Rank
Nicole Cooke Road race 3:32:24 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Time trial 37:14.25 15
Sharon Laws Road race 3:33:17 35
Emma Pooley Road race 3:32:55 23
Time trial 35:16.01 2nd place, silver medalist(s)

Track

Sprint
Athlete Event Qualification Round 1 Round 2 Quarterfinals Semi-finals Final
Time
Speed (km/h) 		Rank Opposition
Time
Speed (km/h) 		Opposition
Time
Speed (km/h) 		Opposition
Time
Speed (km/h) 		Opposition
Time
Speed (km/h) 		Opposition
Time
Speed (km/h) 		Rank
Chris Hoy Men's sprint 9.815 OR
73.357 		1 Q  Dmitriev (RUS)
W 10.607
67.879 		 Watanabe (JPN)
W 10.636
67.694 		 Awang (MAS)
W 10.820, W 10.302 		 Bourgain (FRA)
W 10.260, W 10.358 		 Kenny (GBR)
W 12.228, W 10.216 		1st place, gold medalist(s)
Jason Kenny 9.857
73.044 		2 Q  Kwiatkowski (POL)
W 10.672
67.466 		 Awang (MAS)
W 10.531
68.369 		 Sireau (FRA)
W 10.546, W 10.595 		 Levy (GER)
W 10.594, W 10.335 		 Hoy (GBR)
L, L 		2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Victoria Pendleton Women's sprint 10.963 OR
65.675 		1 Q  Tsukuda (JPN)
W 11.736
61.349 		—  Krupeckaitė (LTU)
W 11.839, W 11.672 		 Kanis (NED)
W 11.537, W 11.885 		 Meares (AUS)
W 11.363, W 11.118 		1st place, gold medalist(s)
Chris Hoy
Jason Kenny
Jamie Staff 		Men's team sprint 42.950
62.863 		1 Q  United States (USA)
W 43.034
62.741 		—  France (FRA)
W 43.128
62.604 		1st place, gold medalist(s)
Pursuit
Athlete Event Qualification Semi-finals Finals
Time Rank Opponent
Results 		Rank Opponent
Results 		Rank
Steven Burke Men's individual pursuit 4:22.260 5 Q  Dyudya (UKR)
4:21.558 		3 Q  Markov (RUS)
4:20.947 		3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Bradley Wiggins 4:15.031 OR 1 Q  Serov (RUS)
4:16.571 		1 Q  Roulston (NZL)
4:16.977 		1st place, gold medalist(s)
Wendy Houvenaghel Women's individual pursuit 3:28.443 NR 1 Q  Kozlíková (CZE)
3:27.829 		2 Q  Romero (GBR)
3:30.395 		2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Rebecca Romero 3:28.641 2 Q  Mactier (AUS)
3:27.703 NR 		1 Q  Houvenaghel (GBR)
3:28.321 		1st place, gold medalist(s)
Ed Clancy
Paul Manning
Geraint Thomas
Bradley Wiggins 		Men's team pursuit 3:57.101 1 Q  Russia (RUS)
3:55.202 WR 		1 Q  Denmark (DEN)
3:53.314 WR 		1st place, gold medalist(s)
Women's individual pursuit gold medallist Rebecca Romero.
Keirin
Athlete Event 1st round Repechage 2nd round Finals
Rank Rank Rank Rank
Ross Edgar Men's keirin 1 Q Bye 1 Q 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Chris Hoy 1 Q Bye 1 Q 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Omnium
Athlete Event Points Laps Rank
Chris Newton Men's points race 56 2 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Rebecca Romero Women's points race 3 0 11
Mark Cavendish
Bradley Wiggins 		Men's madison 6 −1 9

Mountain biking

Athlete Event Time Rank
Oli Beckingsale Men's cross-country 2:01:25 12
Liam Killeen 2:00:14 7

BMX

Athlete Event Seeding Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
Result Rank Points Rank Points Rank Result Rank
Liam Phillips Men's BMX 37.392 28 18 7 Did not advance
Shanaze Reade Women's BMX 36.882 2 — 10 5 REL 8

Diving

Main article: Diving at the 2008 Summer Olympics

A total of ten divers were part of Team GB in the individual and synchronised diving events,[35] including 14-year-old Tom Daley, the 2008 European 10 m champion and one of the youngest athletes to ever compete for Great Britain at an Olympics.[36]

Men
Athlete Events Preliminaries Semi-finals Final
Points Rank Points Rank Points Rank
Ben Swain 3 m springboard 390.30 26 Did not advance
Tom Daley 10 m platform 440.40 12 Q 458.60 8 Q 463.55 7
Peter Waterfield 497.65 4 Q 430.95 13 Did not advance
Nick Robinson-Baker
Ben Swain 		3 m synchronised springboard — 402.36 7
Blake Aldridge
Tom Daley 		10 m synchronised platform — 408.48 8
Women
Athlete Events Preliminaries Semi-finals Final
Points Rank Points Rank Points Rank
Rebecca Gallantree 3 m springboard 232.75 25 Did not advance
Tonia Couch 10 m platform 320.40 12 Q 297.20 12 Q 328.70 8
Stacie Powell 313.90 14 Q 301.75 11 Q 303.50 10
Tandi Gerrard
Hayley Sage 		3 m synchronised springboard — 278.25 8
Tonia Couch
Stacie Powell 		10 m synchronised platform — 303.48 8

Equestrian

Main article: Equestrian at the 2008 Summer Olympics

A total of twelve entrants competed for Team GB in the three equestrian disciplines that took place in Hong Kong. Zara Phillips, the reigning world eventing champion and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, had been included in the squad until her horse, Toytown, sustained an injury, which meant she missed her second successive Olympics.[37]

Dressage

Athlete Horse Event Grand Prix Grand Prix Special Grand Prix Freestyle Overall
Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank Score Rank
Laura Bechtolsheimer Mistral Hojris Individual 65.917 24 Q 67.160 18 Did not advance
Jane Gregory Lucky Star 63.375 31 Did not advance
Emma Hindle Lancet 2 71.125 4 Q 70.440 9 Q 74.250 6 72.345 7
Laura Bechtolsheimer
Jane Gregory
Emma Hindle 		See above Team 66.805 7 — 66.805 6

(Total scores are the average of qualifying round 2 and freestyle final for the individual competition, and average of individual round 1 scores for the team competition.)

Eventing

Athlete Horse Event Dressage Cross-country Jumping Total
Qualifier Final
Penalties Rank Penalties Total Rank Penalties Total Rank Penalties Total Rank Penalties Rank
Tina Cook Miners Frolic Individual 40.20 13 17.20 57.40 10 0.00 57.40 6 Q 0.00 57.40 3 57.40 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Daisy Dick Spring Along 51.70 # 37 17.20 68.90 # 24 11.00 79.90 # 24 Did not advance 79.90 24
William Fox-Pitt Parkmore Ed 50.20 # 34 10.00 60.20 14 4.00 64.20 14 Q 4.00 68.20 12 68.20 12
Sharon Hunt Tankers Town 43.50 18 47.60 91.10 # 38 4.00 95.90 # 35 Did not advance 95.90 35
Mary King Call Again Cavalier 38.10 9 18.00 56.10 5 8.00 64.10 13 Q 4.00 68.10 11 68.10 11
Tina Cook
Daisy Dick
William Fox-Pitt
Sharon Hunt
Mary King 		See above Team 121.80 4 51.90 173.70 3 12.00 185.70 3 — 185.70 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

# – Indicates that points do not count in team total

Show jumping

Athlete Horse Event Qualification Final Total
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round A Round B
Penalties Rank Penalties Total Rank Penalties Total Rank Penalties Rank Penalties Total Rank Penalties Rank
Ben Maher Rolette Individual 1 =14 4 5 =13 Q 0 5 6 Q 0 =1 Q 20 20 =20 20 =20
Nick Skelton[38] Russel 1 =14 8 9 =22 Q 13 22 =31 Q 12 29 Did not advance 12 29
Tim Stockdale Fresh Direct Corlato 4 =30 4 8 =16 Q 8 16 =18 Q 0 =1 Q 16 16 =17 16 =16
John Whitaker Peppermill 5 =39 Withdrew – Lame horse
Michael Whitaker Suncal Portofino 63 Withdrew – Lame horse[38]
Ben Maher
Nick Skelton
Tim Stockdale
John Whitaker 		See above Team — 16 =4 21 37 7 37 6*

* On 21 August, four horses from Brazil, Germany, Ireland and Norway tested positive for a banned substance.[39] The riders were subsequently disqualified from the individual competition and if the B samples test positive then Brazil, Germany and Norway will be disqualified from the team competition and Great Britain will move into 5th place.

Fencing

Main article: Fencing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Great Britain qualified three fencers for the fencing competition. Two of these came from the re-allocation of places by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the governing body for Olympic fencing, after the withdrawal of other fencers.[40]

Men
Athlete Event Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semi-final Final / BM
Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
Richard Kruse Individual foil —  Saliscan (ROU)
W 15–6 		 Joppich (GER)
L 9–10 		Did not advance
Alex O'Connell Individual sabre  Kovalev (RUS)
L 14–15 		Did not advance
Women
Athlete Event Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semi-final Final / BM
Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
Martina Emanuel Individual foil  Smart (USA)
L 7–15 		Did not advance

Field hockey

Main article: Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Men's tournament

Main article: Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament

The Great Britain men's team qualified for the men's Olympic field hockey tournament after a must-win game against India in the final of the Olympic qualifying event.[41] Great Britain was drawn in Group B of the Olympic tournament based on world rankings on 18 April 2008. Having finished 3rd in the pool the team went on to finish 5th overall, beating South Korea in the 5th vs. 6th place playoff. Matt Daly was the top scorer for the team with three goals.

Team roster

The following is the British roster in the men's field hockey tournament of the 2008 Summer Olympics.[42]

Head Coach: Jason Lee

Great Britain's team just before the group stage match against South Africa. From the left: Hawes, McGregor, Kirkham, Dick, R. Mantell, Wilson, Bleby, Tindall, Daly, Alexander, S. Mantell, Marsden, Moore, Clarke, Jackson, Middleton.
  1. Alistair McGregor (GK)
  3. Glenn Kirkham
  4. Richard Alexander
  5. Richard Mantell
  6. Ashley Jackson
  7. Simon Mantell
  8. Stephen Dick
  9. Matt Daly
  11. Jonty Clarke
  12. Rob Moore
  13. Ben Hawes (c)
  15. Alastair Wilson
  16. Barry Middleton
  18. James Tindall
  19. Jon Bleby
  21. Ben Marsden

Reserve:

  2. Niall Stott
  4. James Fair (GK)
Group play
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Netherlands 5 4 1 0 16 6 +10 13 Semi-finals
2  Australia 5 3 2 0 24 7 +17 11
3  Great Britain 5 2 2 1 10 7 +3 8 Fifth place game
4  Pakistan 5 2 0 3 11 13 −2 6 Seventh place game
5  Canada 5 1 1 3 10 17 −7 4 Ninth place game
6  South Africa 5 0 0 5 4 25 −21 0 Eleventh place game
Source: FIH
11 August 2008
10:30
Pakistan  2–4  Great Britain
Abbasi field hockey ball 45'
Waqas field hockey ball 59' 		Report Tindall field hockey ball 2'
Moore field hockey ball 14'
Jackson field hockey ball 29'
Daly field hockey ball 62'
Umpires:
John Wright (RSA)
Amarjit Singh (MAS)
13 August 2008
21:00
Netherlands  1–0  Great Britain
Taekema field hockey ball 63' Report
Umpires:
Murray Grime (AUS)
Gary Simmonds (RSA)
15 August 2008
21:00
South Africa  0–2  Great Britain
Report Tindall field hockey ball 20'
Daly field hockey ball 66'
Umpires:
Christian Blasch (GER)
Rob ten Cate (NED)
17 August 2008
08:30
Great Britain  1–1  Canada
Daly field hockey ball 67' Report Pereira field hockey ball 47'
Umpires:
Roel van Eert (NED)
Gary Simmonds (RSA)
19 August 2008
20:30
Australia  3–3  Great Britain
George field hockey ball 40'
Dwyer field hockey ball 45'
Ockenden field hockey ball 68' 		Report Middleton field hockey ball 34'
R. Mantell field hockey ball 47'
Moore field hockey ball 55'
Umpires:
Christian Blasch (GER)
Xavier Adell (ESP)
Classification match for 5th/6th place
23 August 2008
11:00
South Korea  2–5  Great Britain
Jang Jong-hyun field hockey ball 48'
Hyun Hye-sung field hockey ball 67' 		Report Middleton field hockey ball 44'
Jackson field hockey ball 49'
Clarke field hockey ball 54', 63'
Kirkham field hockey ball 70'
Umpires:
Murray Grime (AUS)
Roel van Eert (NED)

Women's tournament

Main article: Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament

The Great Britain Women's team qualified for the women's Olympic field hockey tournament during the 2007 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship. Great Britain was drawn in Group B of the Olympic tournament based on world rankings on 5 May 2008. Having finished 3rd in the pool and proceeded to the 5th and 6th place classification match where they lost to Australia. Crista Cullen was the team's top scorer in the tournament with 3 goals.

Team roster

The following is the British roster in the women's field hockey tournament of the 2008 Summer Olympics.[43]

Head Coach: Danny Kerry

  2. Beth Storry (GK)
  3. Lisa Wooding
  4. Anne Panter
  5. Crista Cullen
  6. Melanie Clewlow
  7. Charlotte Craddock
  8. Helen Richardson
  9. Joanne Ellis
  11. Lucilla Wright
  12. Kate Walsh (c)
  13. Chloe Rogers
  14. Jennie Bimson
  15. Rachel Walker
  16. Alex Danson
  18. Sarah Thomas
  20. Jo Ellis

Reserve:

  1. Katy Roberts (GK)
  3. Laura Barlett
Group play
Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Germany 5 4 0 1 12 8 +4 12 Advanced to semifinals
 Argentina 5 3 2 0 13 7 +6 11
 Great Britain 5 2 2 1 7 9 −2 8
 United States 5 1 3 1 9 8 +1 6
 Japan 5 1 1 3 5 7 −2 4
 New Zealand 5 0 0 5 6 13 −7 0
Source: [citation needed]
10 August 2008
21:00
Germany  5–1  Great Britain
Rinne field hockey ball 26', 52'
Hoffmann field hockey ball 31', 49'
Rodewald field hockey ball 60' 		Report Cullen field hockey ball 29'
Umpires:
Sarah Garnett (NZL)
Miao Lin (CHN)
12 August 2008
08:30
Argentina  2–2  Great Britain
García field hockey ball 10'
Gulla field hockey ball 27' 		Report Thomas field hockey ball 49'
Clewlow field hockey ball 51'
Umpires:
Marelize de Klerk (RSA)
Stella Bartlema (NED)
14 August 2008
21:00
New Zealand  1–2  Great Britain
Flynn field hockey ball 28' Report Danson field hockey ball 31'
Cullen field hockey ball 50'
Umpires:
Julie Ashton-Lucy (AUS)
Carolina de la Fuente (ARG)
16 August 2008
20:30
Great Britain  2–1  Japan
Panter field hockey ball 32'
Cullen field hockey ball 70' 		Report Miura field hockey ball 58'
Umpires:
Minka Woolley (AUS)
Carol Metchette (IRL)
18 August 2008
18:00
Great Britain  0–0  United States
Report
Umpires:
Ute Conen (GER)
Lisa Roach (AUS)
Classification match for 5th/6th place
22 August 2008
11:00
Australia  2–0  Great Britain
Blyth field hockey ball 29'
Munro field hockey ball 68' 		Report
Umpires:
Sarah Garnett (NZL)
Miao Lin (CHN)

Gymnastics

Main article: Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Team GB entered nine gymnasts into the artistic and trampoline events. Louis Smith, in winning the bronze medal in the men's pommel horse, became the first ever British gymnast to win an individual apparatus medal in gymnastics, and the first Briton to win any individual gymnastics medal since Walter Tysall won men's all-around medal in 1908.[44] Laura Jones was originally chosen for the artistic gymnastics but, due to a slipped disc in her back, she was replaced by the reserve Imogen Cairns.[45]

Artistic

Men
Athlete[46] Event Qualification Final
Apparatus Total Rank Apparatus Total Rank
F PH R V PB HB F PH R V PB HB
Daniel Keatings All-around 14.900 15.175 13.775 15.625 14.900 14.575 88.950 25 Q 14.850 15.700 14.000 15.800 14.425 14.225 89.000 20
Louis Smith All-around 13.700 15.325 13.325 15.375 13.425 14.175 85.325 41 Did not advance
Pommel horse — 15.325 — 15.325 5 Q — 15.725 — 15.725 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Women
Team
Athlete[46] Event Qualification Final
Apparatus Total Rank Apparatus Total Rank
F V UB BB F V UB BB
Imogen Cairns Team 14.855 14.850 13.475 14.175 57.050 33 Did not advance
Beckie Downie 14.150 15.050 14.650 14.225 58.075 24 Q
Marissa King 13.750 14.875 13.475 14.325 56.425 42
Beth Tweddle 14.950 — 15.650 Q —
Hannah Whelan 14.125 13.500 — 14.325 —
Rebecca Wing — 14.550 14.575 14.575 —
Total 57.775 59.325 57.875 57.450 232.425 9
Individual finals
Athlete Event Apparatus Total Rank
F V UB BB
Beckie Downie All-around 14.100 15.025 15.625 14.700 59.450 12
Beth Tweddle Uneven bars — 16.625 — 16.625 4

The result of the uneven bars final, in which Britain's Beth Tweddle placed 4th, was called into question after documents were found that seemed to say that Chinese gymnasts He Kexin and Yang Yilin were only 14, and therefore under the age required to compete, at the time of the games. An investigation into their ages was launched by the IOC to determine whether it was necessary to disqualify them, thus Tweddle's standing could have been changed to 2nd, giving her a silver medal.[47] After a five-and-a-half-week investigation the Chinese athletes were cleared and the original results allowed to stand.[48]

Trampoline

Athlete Event Qualification Final
Score Rank Score Rank
Claire Wright Women's 63.10 10 Did not advance

Judo

Main article: Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Team GB was represented by seven athletes in the Judo events.[50] No British Judoka made it past the quarterfinal stages of competition or through to the medal match of the repechage, meaning the team failed to meet the two medal target set by UK Sport.[8]

Men
Athlete Event Preliminary Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semi-finals Repechage 1 Repechage 2 Repechage 3 Final / BM
Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Rank
Craig Fallon −60 kg Bye  Siccardi (MON)
W 1010–0000 		 Paischer (AUT)
L 0001–0002 		Did not advance  Ahamdi (MAR)
W 0011–0000 		 Kim K-J (PRK)
W 0100–0001 		 Yekutiel (ISR)
L 0101–0200 		Did not advance
Euan Burton −81 kg Bye  Lucenti (ARG)
W 0010–0001 		 Attaf (MAR)
W 0010–0001 		 Gontiuk (UKR)
L 0010–0121 		Did not advance Bye  Valles (COL)
W 0110–0001 		 Camilo (BRA)
L 0010–0100 		Did not advance
Winston Gordon −90 kg —  Nabiev (UZB)
L 0020–0100 		Did not advance
Peter Cousins −100 kg —  Zhorzholiani (GEO)
L 0000–0010 		Did not advance
Women
Athlete Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semi-finals Repechage 1 Repechage 2 Repechage 3 Final / BM
Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Rank
Sarah Clark −63 kg  Heill (AUT)
L 0100–1011 		Did not advance
Michelle Rogers −78 kg Bye  Jeong G-M (KOR)
L 0000–0001 		Did not advance
Karina Bryant +78 kg Bye  Zambotti (MEX)
L 0001–0021 		Did not advance

Modern pentathlon

Main article: Modern pentathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Team GB sent the maximum allowance of four competitors for the modern pentathlon events in Beijing. For the first time since 1996, the team had entrants in the men's competition.[51]

Athlete Event Shooting
(10 m air pistol) 		Fencing
(épée one touch) 		Swimming
(200 m freestyle) 		Riding
(show jumping) 		Running
(3000 m) 		Total points Final rank
Points Rank MP Points Results Rank MP points Time Rank MP points Penalties Rank MP points Time Rank MP Points
Sam Weale Men's 177 25 1060 18–17 13 832 2:02.87 8 1328 164 18 1036 9:21.18 8 1156 5412 10
Nick Woodbridge 160 35 856 14–21 29 736 1:55.96 2 1412 140 12 1060 9:34.46 20 1104 5168 25
Heather Fell Women's 185 6 1156 20–15 =11 880 2:12.77 3 1328 56 11 1144 10:19.28 5 1244 5752 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Katy Livingston 178 18 1072 17–18 =18 808 2:15.68 7 1292 28 6 1172 10:29.47 10 1204 5548 7

Rowing

Main article: Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

There were 43 rowers in Team GB, the most since qualifying quotas were introduced after the 1992 Summer Olympics.[52] Crews were fielded in 12 out of a possible 14 events making Team GB the fourth biggest team. Medals were won in 6 events, which meant that GB topped the rowing medal table.[53] The medals won included gold in the coxless four, for the third successive games, and Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter winning Great Britain's first ever lightweight rowing Olympic medal in the men's lightweight double sculls.[54]

Men
Athlete Event Heats Repechage Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Alan Campbell Single sculls 7:14.98 1 QF — 6:52.74 2 SA/B 7:05.24 2 FA 7:04:47 5
Robin Bourne-Taylor
Tom Solesbury 		Pair 6:59.48 4 R 6:41.43 4 FC — Bye 6:46.83 13
Stephen Rowbotham
Matt Wells 		Double sculls 6:26.33 1 SA/B Bye — 6:21.15 3 FA 6:29.10 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Mark Hunter
Zac Purchase 		Lightweight double sculls 6:13.69 OB 1 SA/B Bye — 6:29.56 1 FA 6:10.99 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Tom James
Pete Reed
Andrew Triggs Hodge
Steve Williams 		Four 6:00.59 1 SA/B Bye — 5:54.77 1 FA 6:06.57 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Richard Chambers
James Clarke
James Lindsay-Fynn
Paul Mattick 		Lightweight four 5:52.38 2 SA/B Bye — 6:08.75 3 FA 5:52.12 5
Richard Egington
Alastair Heathcote
Matt Langridge
Tom Lucy
Acer Nethercott (cox)
Alex Partridge
Colin Smith
Tom Stallard
Josh West 		Eight 5:25.86 1 FA Bye — 5:25.11 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Women
Athlete Event Heats Repechage Semi-finals Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Louisa Reeve
Olivia Whitlam 		Pair 7:29.88 3 R 7:34.54 2 FA — 7:33.61 6
Anna Bebington
Elise Laverick 		Double sculls 7:08.65 3 R 6:54.76 1 FA — 7:07.55 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Helen Casey
Hester Goodsell 		Lightweight double sculls 6:55.23 3 R 7:24.23 1 SA/B 7:17.67 5 FB 7:11.24 11
Debbie Flood
Katherine Grainger
Frances Houghton
Annabel Vernon 		Quadruple sculls 6:13.70 1 FA Bye — 6:17.37 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Carla Ashford
Jess Eddie
Katie Greves
Natasha Howard*
Alison Knowles*
Caroline O'Connor (cox)
Natasha Page
Beth Rodford
Sarah Winckless 		Eight 6:08.68 2 R 6:12.10 3 FA — 6:13.74 5

Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

* Substitutes in final because of illness: Louisa Reeve for Howard and Alice Freeman for Knowles

Sailing

Main article: Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Great Britain entered crews in all 11 sailing events at the Games.[2][55] The team finished top of the sailing medal table, with six medals won,[56] thus exceeding the target of four set by UK Sport.[8] Ben Ainslie won a gold medal for the third successive Games to become the most decorated British Olympic sailor of all time.[57]

Men
Athlete Event Race Net points Final rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 M*
Nick Dempsey RS:X 11 9 3 2 1 7 17 5 3 5 14 60 4
Paul Goodison Laser 15 2 15 1 9 7 1 4 6 CAN 18 63 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Jonathan Glanfield
Nick Rogers 		470 19 5 1 4 9 6 20 30
OCS 		2 3 6 75 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Iain Percy
Andrew Simpson 		Star 7 13 3 5 8 2 1 1 2 6 14 49 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Women
Athlete Event Race Net points Final rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 M*
Bryony Shaw RS:X 4 3 11 6 28
OCS 		6 5 3 1 2 4 45 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Penny Clark Laser Radial 2 22 1 22 3 17 18 23 13 CAN 14 112 10
Christina Bassadone
Saskia Clark 		470 20
DSQ 		8 3 4 15 13 8 3 15 5 8 82 6
Sarah Ayton
Sarah Webb
Pippa Wilson 		Yngling 2 3 4 7 4 2 2 5 CAN CAN 2 24 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Open
Athlete Event Race Net points Final rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 M*
Ben Ainslie Finn 10 1 4 1 1 10 2 2 CAN CAN — 2 23 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Stevie Morrison
Ben Rhodes 		49er 4 3 5 14 14 15 20
OCS 		3 2 8 11 15 CAN CAN CAN 6 100 9
Will Howden
Leigh McMillan 		Tornado 6 8 13 8 14 7 7 2 3 12 — 2 68 6

M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race; CAN = Race cancelled; OCS = On the course side of the starting line;

Shooting

Main article: Shooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Team GB had a total of five competitors for the shooting disciplines at the 2008 Olympics, with four entered in the shotgun events and one in the rifle events.

Men
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Points Rank Points Rank
Richard Faulds Double trap 137 5 Q 180 6
Jon Hammond 10 m air rifle 589 29 Did not advance
50 m rifle 3 positions 1148 42 Did not advance
50 m rifle prone 589 34 Did not advance
Steve Scott Double trap 134 14 Did not advance
Women
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Points Rank Points Rank
Elena Allen Skeet 66 14 Did not advance
Charlotte Kerwood Trap 58 16 Did not advance

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Double gold medallist Rebecca Adlington.

Thirty-seven athletes represented Team GB in the swimming events. Selection followed the 2008 British Olympic Swimming Trials in Sheffield in April, with open water event swimmers selected after performance in the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships, in Seville, Spain. In winning six medals (two gold, two silver and two bronze) the team bettered the target of three medals set by UK Sport.[8] The most successful swimmer was Rebecca Adlington who won two gold medals. Her 400 m freestyle success was Britain's first Olympic swimming title since 1988, and the first swimming gold by a British woman since 1960. Her second gold, in the 800 m freestyle, meant she also equalled the best performance by a British woman, from any sport, at the summer Olympics and was the best swimming performance by a Briton at the Olympics for 100 years.[58]

Men
Athlete Event Heat Semi-final Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
David Carry 400 m freestyle 3:47.17 NR 15 — Did not advance
Richard Charlesworth 1500 m freestyle 15:17.27 25 — Did not advance
Chris Cook 100 m breaststroke 1:00.70 15 Q 1:00.81 15 Did not advance
Todd Cooper 100 m butterfly 52.52 29 Did not advance
Euan Dale 400 m individual medley 4:18.60 19 — Did not advance
Ross Davenport 200 m freestyle 1:47.13 11 Q 1:47.35 10 Did not advance
David Davies 1500 m freestyle 14:46.11 5 Q — 14:52.11 6
10 km open water — 1:51:53.1 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Mark Foster 50 m freestyle 22.35 23 Did not advance
Kristopher Gilchrist 100 m breaststroke 1:01.34 27 Did not advance
200 m breaststroke 2:11.13 15 Q 2:10.27 NR 13 Did not advance
James Goddard 200 m individual medley 1:59.74 13 Q 1:58.63 6 Q 1:59.24 6
Thomas Haffield 400 m individual medley 4:16.72 17 — Did not advance
James Kirton 200 m breaststroke 2:15.25 37 Did not advance
Dean Milwain 400 m freestyle 3:48.77 21 — Did not advance
Robbie Renwick 200 m freestyle 1:47.82 17 Q 1:47.07 8 Q 1:47.47 8
Michael Rock 100 m butterfly 52.48 27 Did not advance
200 m butterfly 1:55.55 9 Q 1:55.90 12 Did not advance
Gregor Tait 100 m backstroke 54.62 16 Q 54.37 12 Did not advance
200 m backstroke 1:57.03 5 Q 1:56.72 6 Q 1:57.00 8
Liam Tancock 100 m backstroke 53.85 6 Q 53.61 6 Q 53.39 NR 6
200 m individual medley 1:59.79 14 Q 1:59.42 7 Q 2:00.76 8
Adam Brown
Simon Burnett
Ross Davenport
Benjamin Hockin 		4 × 100 m freestyle relay 3:13.69 NR 8 Q — 3:12.87 NR 8
David Carry
Ross Davenport
Benjamin Hockin
Andrew Hunter
Robbie Renwick 		4 × 200 m freestyle relay 7:07.89 NR 4 Q — 7:05.92 NR 6
Simon Burnett
Chris Cook
Michael Rock
Liam Tancock 		4 × 100 m medley relay 3:33.83 NR 5 Q — 3:33.69 NR 6

Qualifiers for the latter rounds (Q) of all events were decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats.

Women
Athlete Event Heat Semi-final Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Rebecca Adlington 400 m freestyle 4:02.24 2 Q — 4:03.22 1st place, gold medalist(s)
800 m freestyle 8:18.08 OR 1 Q — 8:14.10 WR 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Kirsty Balfour 100 m breaststroke 1:08.30 14 Q 1:09.23 15 Did not advance
200 m breaststroke 2:27.87 18 Did not advance
Ellen Gandy 200 m butterfly 2:08.98 15 Q 2:10.60 15 Did not advance
Francesca Halsall 50 m freestyle 24.93 8 Q 24.80 10 Did not advance
100 m freestyle 53.93 5 Q 53.94 5 Q 54.29 8
100 m butterfly 58.70 21 Did not advance
Kate Haywood 100 m breaststroke 1:08.18 11 Q 1:08.36 11 Did not advance
Joanne Jackson 200 m freestyle 1:58.00 14 Q 1:58.70 14 Did not advance
400 m freestyle 4.03.80 4 Q — 4:03.52 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Jemma Lowe 100 m butterfly 58.49 16 Q 57.78 NR 6 Q 58.06 6
200 m butterfly 2:08.07 10 Q 2:07.87 9 Did not advance
Caitlin McClatchey 100 m freestyle DNS Did not advance
200 m freestyle 1:56.97 3 Q 1:57.73 7 Q 1:57.65 6
Hannah Miley 200 m individual medley 2:11.72 4 Q 2:12.35 11 Did not advance
400 m individual medley 4:36.56 8 Q — 4:39.44 6
Cassie Patten 800 m freestyle 8:25.91 8 Q — 8:32.35 8
10 km open water — 1:59:31.0 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Keri-Anne Payne 200 m individual medley 2.12.78 15 Q 2:14.14 16 Did not advance
400 m individual medley 4:38.69 15 — Did not advance
10 km open water — 1:59:29.2 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Elizabeth Simmonds 100 m backstroke 1:00.53 12 Q 1:00.39 10 Did not advance
200 m backstroke 2:08.66 NR 2 Q 2:08.96 7 Q 2:08.51 NR 6
Gemma Spofforth 100 m backstroke 1:00.11 6 Q 59.79 5 Q 59.38 4
200 m backstroke 2:10.56 16 Q 2:09.19 9 Did not advance
Julia Beckett
Francesca Halsall
Melanie Marshall[59]
Caitlin McClatchey
Jessica Sylvester 		4 × 100 m freestyle relay 3:39.18 NR 8 Q — 3:38.18 NR 7
Rebecca Adlington
Francesca Halsall
Joanne Jackson
Melanie Marshall
Caitlin McClatchey
Hannah Miley 		4 × 200 m freestyle relay 7:56.16 9 — Did not advance
Francesca Halsall
Kate Haywood
Jemma Lowe
Gemma Spofforth 		4 × 100 m medley relay 3:59.14 2 Q — 3:57.50 4

Qualifiers for the latter rounds (Q) of all events were decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats.

Synchronised swimming

Main article: Synchronized swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Team GB was represented by two athletes in synchronised swimming, competing in the duet event.

Athlete Event Technical routine Free routine (preliminary) Free routine (final)
Points Rank Points Total (technical + free) Rank Points Total (technical + free) Rank
Olivia Allison
Jenna Randall 		Duet 43.917 14 44.667 88.584 14 Did not advance

Taekwondo

Main article: Taekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Team GB entered three athletes into the taekwondo competition in Beijing. Sarah Stevenson won Team GB's first ever medal in Olympic taekwondo – a bronze in the women's +67 kg.[60]

Athlete Event Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semi-finals Repechage Bronze medal Final
Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Opposition
Result 		Rank
Michael Harvey Men's −58 kg  Pérez (MEX)
L 2–3 		Did not advance  Nikpai (AFG)
L 1–3 		Did not advance
Aaron Cook Men's −80 kg  Jason (MHL)
W 7–0 		 Vásquez (VEN)
W 5–2 		 Sarmiento (ITA)
L 5–6 		Bye  Zhu G (CHN)
L 1–4 		Did not advance 5
Sarah Stevenson Women's +67 kg  Dawani (JOR)
W 3–2 		 Chen Z (CHN)
W 2–1* 		 Espinoza (MEX)
L 1–4 		Bye  Abd Rabo (EGY)
W 5–1 		Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

* After a successful appeal by the British, judges reversed the result of the match, granting Sarah Stevenson two points for a final round kick to her opponent's head which the judges had previously missed. The reversal of the decision, after video footage was considered, is thought to be a first for the sport.[60] Another British hopeful, Aaron Cook, was also unhappy with the judges after losing out on bronze in the men's −80 kg.[61]

Tennis

Main article: Tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The Murray brothers were the sole tennis players on Team GB. Andy Murray qualified due to his world ranking and Jamie Murray was nominated for the doubles by the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of world tennis.

Athlete Event Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semi-finals Final / BM
Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
Andy Murray Men's singles  Lu Y-H (TPE)
L 6–7(5–7), 4–6 		Did not advance
Andy Murray
Jamie Murray 		Men's doubles —  Nestor /
Niemeyer (CAN)
W 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 		 Clément /
Llodra (FRA)
L 1–6, 3–6 		Did not advance

Triathlon

Main article: Triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics

A total of five competitors were selected by Team GB for the triathlon events in Beijing, with three in the men's event and two in the women's. Four qualified through the Olympic Qualification rankings of the International Triathlon Union, the body responsible for organising official world championship series races, while Helen Tucker qualified by winning the 2008 World Championships.

Athlete Event Swim (1.5 km) Trans 1 Bike (40 km) Trans 2 Run (10 km) Total Time Rank
Alistair Brownlee Men's 18:11 0:27 59:05 0:29 32:07 1:50:19 12
Will Clarke 18:53 0:27 58:23 0:31 32:18 1:50:32 14
Tim Don 18:54 0:26 Lapped on bike (eliminated)
Hollie Avil Women's 20:09 0:32 Did not finish
Helen Tucker 19:52 0:31 1:04:17 0:36 37:39 2:02:55 21

Weightlifting

Main article: Weightlifting at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The only British weightlifter to qualify for the games was Michaela Breeze who competed in her second Olympic Games.[62] She battled through a back injury to finish 15th out of 20 competitors in her event.[63]

Athlete Event Snatch Clean & jerk Total Rank
Result Rank Result Rank
Michaela Breeze Women's −63 kg 85 15 100 15 185 15

Sports not contested in Beijing

British representatives participated in the qualifying tournaments of a number of other Olympic sports in the lead up to the 2008 games, only for events outside of the athletes' control to prevent their further participation in the games.

Baseball

Main article: Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The GB baseball team finished 2nd in the 2007 European Baseball Championship behind the Netherlands, guaranteeing them a place at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Taiwan. However, a lack of funding forced the team to withdraw, with their place being taken by Germany.[64]

Football

Main article: Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The award of the 2012 Summer Olympics to London has brought the question of British participation in the football tournaments to the fore, given that there is traditionally no single United Kingdom national team. The British Olympic Association initially refused to rule out the possibility of entry for 2008, but were unable to come to an agreement with the Scottish Football Association.[65] The 2007 European Under-21 Championship, which served as the European qualifying tournament for the men's competition, saw the England U21 team reach the semi-finals, which would have meant a place at the Olympics. Because at the Olympics the team is representative of the entire UK, England were thus prevented from taking this place, with instead a play-off taking place between Portugal and Italy. A similar situation occurred with the England Women's team who, by virtue of being one of the top three European sides at the 2007 World Cup, would have been granted a place at the Olympics. Instead, there was a play-off between Denmark and Sweden.

Media coverage

The main rights to Olympic coverage in the United Kingdom are held by the BBC, under the Ofcom Code on Sports and Other Listed and Designated Events. An extensive range of broadcasting options was used to provide over 2,500 hours of coverage.[66]

For the first time, Olympic coverage was broadcast in high-definition on BBC HD. Digital television viewers had access to up to six streamed channels covering the games on BBC Red Button, whilst the BBC's website permitted British broadband users to view live streams from a variety of events. Live broadcasts ran overnight and throughout the day on BBC One and BBC Two, starting at 0200 daily; a highlights programme, Games Today, was broadcast on BBC One following the close of each day's events.

The opening and closing ceremonies were anchored by Sue Barker and Huw Edwards, whilst general coverage was anchored (at various times of the day) by Adrian Chiles, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan, Jake Humphrey, Sue Barker, Hazel Irvine and John Inverdale. Former Olympic contenders – including gold medallists Michael Johnson, Shirley Robertson, Adrian Moorhouse, Steve Redgrave, Jonathan Edwards and Chris Boardman – provided analysis.[67]

Eurosport also broadcast coverage of the Games viewable in the United Kingdom.[68] In accordance with the ITC Code, it can show live events, provided that such events can also be broadcast by the BBC (although the BBC can choose not to do so).[citation needed]

Radio coverage was provided by BBC Radio 5 Live, and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra on digital radio.[66]

See also

Notes

General
  • Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (2010). Official report of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (PDF). LA84 Foundation. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
Specific
  1. ^ "Team GB's 311 Athletes Entered for Beijing 2008". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 23 August 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  2. ^ a b "All currently selected Team GB athletes". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 23 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  3. ^ "Team GB". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  4. ^ "Full text of the constitution" (PDF). Department of the Taoiseach. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  5. ^ "GB Olympians power to new heights". BBC Sport. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  6. ^ Munro, James (25 August 2008). "Britain may aim for third in 2012". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
  7. ^ "Medallists GBR – Great Britain". The official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "GB target 35 medals from Beijing". BBC Sport. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  9. ^ "Brabants wins Britain's 18th gold". BBC Sport. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  10. ^ "Schoneborn pips GB's Fell to gold". BBC Sport. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  11. ^ "Briton Pendleton wins sprint gold". BBC Sport. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  12. ^ a b "Hoy clinches historic third gold". BBC Sport. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  13. ^ "Battling Davies lands 10km silver". BBC Sport. 21 August 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  14. ^ "Wills criticises coach after exit". BBC Sport. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
  15. ^ "Archery boss keen to hear critics". BBC Sport. 4 September 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
  16. ^ "2007 World Outdoor Target Championship Results" (PDF). archery.org. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  17. ^ "Sprinters in limbo as squad named". BBC Sport. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  18. ^ "Chambers loses Olympic ban case". BBC Sport. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  19. ^ "Radcliffe faces race against time". BBC Sport. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  20. ^ "Paula Radcliffe's marathon bid ends in tears". London: BBC Sport. 17 August 2008. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  21. ^ "Collins leaves UK Athletics post". BBC Sport. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  22. ^ Bloom, Ben (25 May 2016). "Britons poised for Olympic glory eight years late". The Telegraph.
  23. ^ "Blonska thrown out of long jump". BBC Sport. 21 August 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  24. ^ Broadbent, Rick; Oconnor, Ashling (20 August 2008). "Kelly Sotherton welcomes heptathlete Blonska's failed drugs test". The Times. London. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  25. ^ Mitchell, Kevin (18 August 2008). "Price knuckles down to guarantee himself a medal". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  26. ^ Nichols, Pete (19 August 2008). "Guaranteed bronze for light-heavyweight Jeffries". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  27. ^ Mitchell, Kevin (20 August 2008). "DeGale guarantees third boxing bronze for Britain". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  28. ^ "Medal hope Gavin out of Olympics". BBC News. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  29. ^ "Kayak pair finally named for GB". BBC Sport. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  30. ^ "Hoy & Edgar claim gold and silver". BBC Sport. 16 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  31. ^ "Velodrome honour for golden Hoy". BBC Sport. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  32. ^ "Romero beats GB team-mate to gold". BBC Sport. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  33. ^ "Reade crashes out of BMX medals". BBC Sport. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  34. ^ "Olympic road race glory for Cooke". BBC Sport. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  35. ^ "British divers feel no pressure from dominant China". Xinhua News Agency. 30 July 2008. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  36. ^ "Brits to watch: Tom Daley". BBC Sport. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  37. ^ "Phillips out of GB Olympic team". BBCSport. 11 June 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  38. ^ a b "Michael Whitaker's Horse Withdrawn". British Olympic Equestrian Team. 13 August 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
  39. ^ "Olympic horses fail drugs tests". BBC Sport. 21 August 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  40. ^ "BOA Announce Another Fencer Selected for Team GB". British Olympic Association. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  41. ^ "GB hockey men seal Beijing berth". BBC Sport. 9 March 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  42. ^ 2008 Official Results Part Two: Hockey – Wrestling, LA84 Foundation.
  43. ^ 2008 Official Results Part Two: Hockey – Wrestling, LA84 Foundation.
  44. ^ "Smith wins historic bronze for GB". BBC Sport. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  45. ^ "Injured Jones out of Olympic team". BBC Sport. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  46. ^ a b "Team Gb Selected Athletes in Artistic Gymnastics". British Olympic Association. Retrieved 9 August 2008.[permanent dead link]
  47. ^ Reid, Tim; MacArtney, Jane (21 August 2008). "International Olympic Committee launches probe into He Kexin's age". The Times. London. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  48. ^ "2008 Chinese gymnasts cleared, but 2000 team eyed". ESPN. Associated Press. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  49. ^ "Team GB Selected Athletes in Trampolining". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  50. ^ "Fallon handed Olympic squad place". BBC Sport. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  51. ^ "BOA select additional Team GB Modern Pentathletes". British Olympic Association. 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  52. ^ "Final GB rowers named after trial". BBC Sport. 16 July 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  53. ^ "Medal Standings Rowing". The official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  54. ^ "GB duo win first lightweight gold". BBC Sport. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  55. ^ "British Olympic Association > Summer Games > Beijing 2008 > Qualification". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  56. ^ "Medal Standings Sailing". The official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  57. ^ "Ainslie claims third Olympic gold". BBC Sport. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  58. ^ "Adlington storms to second gold". BBC Sport. 16 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  59. ^ "Marshall to double up in Beijing". BBC News. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  60. ^ a b "Reprieved Stevenson takes bronze". BBC Sport. 23 August 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  61. ^ "Video – Heartbroken Cook blames judges". BBC Sport. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  62. ^ "BOA Announces Weightlifting Member of Team GB". British Olympic Association. 15 July 2008. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  63. ^ "Breeze performance hit by injury". BBC. 12 August 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  64. ^ "GB's Olympic baseball dream ends". BBC Sport. 5 March 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  65. ^ Goodbody, John (12 November 2005). "Britain looks to Beijing after Scotland's snub to 2012 Games". The Times. London. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  66. ^ a b "The 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics on the BBC" (Press release). BBC. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  67. ^ "The 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics on the BBC" (Press release). BBC. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
  68. ^ "Eurosport Unveils Beijing 2008 Programming" (Press release). BBC. 16 June 2008. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2008.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Britain_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics&oldid=1243620511"