Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Great Britain dominated with eight golds, seven from the velodrome.
Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place across four venues in Beijing from August 9 to 23. Track events were held at the Laoshan Velodrome, while mountain bike and BMX competitions used the Laoshan Mountain Bike Course and Laoshan BMX Field, respectively. Road cycling events followed the Beijing Cycling Road Course. A total of eighteen medal events were contested across four disciplines: track cycling, road cycling, mountain biking, and BMX, which made its Olympic debut in 2008. The Great Britain team dominated the Games, winning fourteen medals overall, including eight golds. Seven of those golds came from the ten track cycling events. This performance marked the start of a prolonged period of British supremacy in the velodrome; over the next three Olympic Games (through 2020), Great Britain would win 21 of the 30 gold medals available in track cycling—70 percent of all golds on offer.
- location
- Beijing, China
- dates
- August 9 to August 23
- venues
- Laoshan Velodrome, Laoshan Mountain Bike Course, Laoshan BMX Field, Beijing Cycling Road Course
- events
- 18
- disciplines
- track cycling, road cycling, mountain bike, BMX
- dominant_nation
- Great Britain
Lore & Background
The Great Britain team claimed 14 medals in total, including eight golds, seven of them from the ten events in the velodrome. This marked the beginning of a period of complete domination for Great Britain that would last to the 2020 Summer Olympics. The British team would claim 21 of the 30 gold medals awarded in the velodrome over the next three Games, 70% of all gold medals on offer.
Reader's Guide
The 2008 cycling events introduced BMX as a new discipline, expanding the medal program to 18 events across four disciplines. Great Britain's performance, particularly in the velodrome, set a standard that defined international track cycling for over a decade. The British team's eight gold medals, seven from track events, signaled a shift in competitive balance that would see them win 70% of all velodrome golds over the next three Olympic Games. The events were spread across four distinct venues in Beijing, each designed for its specific discipline.
Did You Know?
- Great Britain claimed 14 medals in total, including eight golds.
- Seven of Great Britain's eight gold medals came from the ten track cycling events.
- BMX racing was new to the Olympic program in 2008.
- The British team would win 21 of the 30 gold medals in the velodrome over the next three Games.
More in Cycling at the Summer Olympics 1-24
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