Olympic Memories: 1992

Chris Boardman...Golden boy from 1992 who used 'super bike' superbly in Barcelona...

Amid dismal displays by Britain at the 1992 Games, Chris Boardman not only saved Team GB some face, but excelled to such a degree that the country had something to shout about. Known as "The Professor" for his scrupulous attention to detail in training, Boardman went into Barcelona as a 24 year-old who was already the world record holder for the 5000m. He also had a secret weapon. His Lotus Engineering "super-bike" was innovative and something the world had never seen before. Its revolutionary aerodynamism helped him to sail through the initial stages in the 4000m individual pursuit. Against Danish cyclist Jan Petersen, he set a new world record. This was broken a few days later as Boardman shattered his old time against New Zealand Commonwealth Games champion Gary Anderson in the semi-final. Half an hour later and Boardman was back on the track against Jens Lehmann, part of the gold-winning German team pursuit squad. But fatigue proved negligible for the great Briton, who caught up with Lehmann, thus rendering him victorious, with a lap to spare to take gold.