Bradley Wiggins Wins Seventh Olympic Medal With Gold At The Hampton Court 2012 Time Trial

Wiggins Wins!
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Bradley Wiggins added to his Tour de France victory with a stunning gold medal after he and his famous sideburns stormed through the streets to victory in the men's Olympic time trial.

Wiggins, wearing a Team GB-styled riding helmet, topped with a Union Jack, flew past screaming crowds towards the finish line and his seventh Olympic medal - making him Britain's most decorated Olympian.

Team-mate Chris Froome finished third to give Team GB a sensational boost in the Olympics medal table.

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Making Britain proud: Wiggins is the king of the time trial

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Wiggins and Froome show off their medals to the world's media

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Wiggins won the Tour de France time trial this year - and the same event at London 2012

The silver medal went to Germany's Tony Martin, who clocked a time of 51:21.

Afterwards Wiggins commented that even if he was knighted he'd put his medal in the drawer and not use it.

He said: "I'll always be just Brad." Asked if he would be having a celebratory drink, he replied: "Vodka tonic. I'll have a few of them tonight."

Wiggins, who was racing in his specialist discipline (and with a RAF mod symbol on the front of his helmet), clocked a time of 50:39 which easily beat his biggest rival Fabian Cancellara, who was three minutes behind him.

Froome, who finished second to Wiggins in the Tour de France clocked a time of 51:47:87.

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Bradley Wiggins on a charge as he took on the course near Hampton Park Palace

The podium finishes mean Team GB is now on a charge in the medals table after first-place results in the rowing.

Britain has now moved ahead of arch-rivals Australia to 10th.

Swiss Cancellara had been riding with an injured right shoulder after crashing heavily in the men's road race on Saturday.

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Chris Froome powered his way to the finish and held the number one position for a while

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Fans showed their support for Bradley Wiggins on the course near Hampton Court Palace

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Huge hopes of gold had been placed on Wiggins' shoulders

Crowd puller Wiggins was cheered along by thousands of fans who lined the course four deep in many places.

The course snaked from the historic Hampton Court Palace through the roads of Surrey and back again.

Princess Anne was at the finishing line to see another gold for Team GB.

As he pulled into the finishing stretch fans smashed their hands against the purple London 2012 boarding, which were draped in Union flags.

It was a marked improvement from the rest of Team GB's cycling efforts so far which has only produced a silver medal with Lizzie Armitstead in the women's road race on Sunday.

Praise for Wiggins and Froome flooded through on Twitter. Fellow Team GB cyclist Mark Cavendish tweeted: "As if being the 1st British Tour de France winner didn't make enough history, @bradwiggins just won his 7th Olympic medal! GOLD. #proud."

User Martin Williams tweeted: "#BradleyWiggins like noone else handles the pressure to bring home gold for GB. Give him Sports Personality of they Year now. #wiggold."

Former England player and BBC sports presenter Gary Lineker wrote: "Mr @bradwiggins you are an absolute hero! TDF winner, gold medal winner and Britain's leading medalist ever. Congratulations."

London Mayor Boris Johnson was quick to offer his congratulations, too. He tweeted: "What a day! Bradley Wiggins joins this morning's Golden Girls on a great day for @TeamGB."

Cycling fan Colin Thorne, from London, took to Twitter to urge the Coalition to make Thursday a national cycling day in honour of Wiggins and Froome's achievements.

Bradley Wiggins - A Career In Medals
(01 of19)
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Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins kisses his medal after winning the Men's Individual Time Trial on day five of the London Olympic Games at Hampton Court Palace, London. (Photo credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.)
(02 of19)
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Gold medallist Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain celebrate during the victory ceremony after the Men's Individual Time Trial Road Cycling on day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 1, 2012 in London, England. (Photo credit: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
(03 of19)
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Silver medallist Tony Martin (L) of Germany and gold medallist Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain celebrate during the victory ceremony after the Men's Individual Time Trial Road Cycling on day 5 of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 1, 2012 in London, England. (Photo credit: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
(04 of19)
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Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins (centre) poses with his gold medal after winning the Men's Individual Time Trial, with second placed Germany's Tony Martin and third placed Great Britain's Chris Froome (right) on day five of the London Olympic Games at Hampton Court Palace, London. (Photo credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.)
(05 of19)
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Britain's Bradley Wiggins celebrates after winning the gold medal at the end of the London 2012 Olympic Games men's individual time trial road cycling event in London on August 1, 2012. (Photo credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/GettyImages)
(06 of19)
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Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins sits on the throne as he celebrates winning the Men's Individual Time Trial on day five of the London Olympic Games at Hampton Court Palace, London. (Photo credit: PA)
(07 of19)
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Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins celebrates with his wife Cath after winning the Men's Individual Time Trial on day five of the London Olympic Games at Hampton Court Palace, London.Picture date: Wednesday August 1, 2012. See PA story OLYMPICS Cycling Road Women. (Photo credit: John Giles/PA Wire.)
(08 of19)
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Gold medalists Paul Manning, Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas and Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain celebrate after the Men's Team Pursuit Finals at the Laoshan Velodrome on Day 10 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 18, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
(09 of19)
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Gold medalists Paul Manning, Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas and Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain compete in the Men's Team Pursuit Finals at the Laoshan Velodrome on Day 10 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 18, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
(10 of19)
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Gold medalist Bradley Wiggins (L) and bronze medalist Steven Burke of Great Britain pose with their medals after finishing the Men's Individual Pursuit Finals at the Laoshan Velodrome on Day 8 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 16, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
(11 of19)
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Track cyclist Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain holds his gold medal on the podium of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games men's individual pursuit final at the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing on August 16, 2008. (Photo credit: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)
(12 of19)
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Track cyclist Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain poses after receiving the gold medal won in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games men's individual pursuit final at the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing on August 16, 2008. (Photo credit: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)
(13 of19)
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British Rob Hayles (R) and Bradley Wiggins celebrate their bronze medal at the awards ceremony of the men's madison final in the Olympic Velodrome at the Olympic Games in Athens, 25 August 2004. Australian Graeme Brown and Stuart O'Grady won the gold ahead of Swiss Franco Marvulli and Bruno Risi. (Photo credit: DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images)
(14 of19)
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(L-R) Bradley Wiggins, Steve Cummings, Paul Manning and Chris Newton of team Great Britain celebrate after receiving their silver medals in the men's track cycling team pursuit final against Australia on August 23, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Olympic Velodrome within the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. (Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
(15 of19)
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Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain bites the gold medal he received in the men's track cycling individual pursuit event on August 21, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Olympic Velodrome within the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. (Photo credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)
(16 of19)
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(L-R) Brad McGee of Australia, silver medal, Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain, gold medal, and Sergi Escobar of Spain, bronze medal, stand on the podium with their medals after competing in the men's track cycling individual pursuit event on August 21, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Olympic Velodrome within the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. (Photo credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)
(17 of19)
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Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain displays the gold medal he received in the men's track cycling individual pursuit event on August 21, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Olympic Velodrome within the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. (Photo credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)
(18 of19)
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Briton Bradley Wiggins celebrates after winning the ogld medal at the end of the men's individual pursuit finals at the Athens velodrome during the cycling track competition at the 2004 Olympic Games, 21 August 2004. (Photo credit: MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images)
(19 of19)
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Briton Bradley Wiggins bites his gold medal on the podium at the end of the men's individual pursuit finals at the Athens velodrome during the cycling track competition at the 2004 Olympic Games, 21 August 2004. (Photo credit: DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images)