With a kiss from his proud wife Sarra, Sir Chris Hoy savours the moment when he joined the Olympic immortals.
The 36-year-old cyclist equalled Sir Steve Redgrave’s record British tally of five gold medals as he powered to victory in the men’s team sprint. It was one of three golds for Team GB yesterday.
But the spectacular win was mired in controversy last night after one of Hoy's teammates claimed he had deliberately fallen from his bike in an earlier round.

Tainted gold: Sir Chris Hoy celebrates his win by kissing his wife. But the victory was mired in controversy last night

Tainted gold: Sir Chris Hoy celebrates his win by kissing his wife Sarra. But the victory was mired in controversy last night

The British team was allowed to restart the qualifier after German-born Philip Hindes crashed seconds into the race.

The trio went on to post a world record time and later won the final against France.

Hindes, 19, suggested the crash was part of a deliberate ploy because the British team had made a poor start.

He said after winning gold: 'We were saying if we have a bad start, we need to crash to get a restart. I just crashed, I did it on purpose to get a restart, just to have the fastest ride. I did it. So it was all planned, really.'
Last night British Cycling categorically denied the fall was any part of a plan and said Hindes's comments were 'lost in translation' from a man who began learning English only after moving to Manchester from his native Germany two years ago.

Hoy and his wife Sarra pose with the gold medal

Team GB sprint team Jason Kenny, Philip Hindes and Sir Chris Hoy pose with their gold medals

The International Cycling Union confirmed that the incident had been reviewed at the time and the result was not in question – so all three British cyclists will keep their gold medals.

Losing finalists France said the action was not against the rules so they will not dispute the result. But they said it left a 'bitter' taste and they called for a change in the way such incidents are handled.

Hindes subsequently denied it was deliberate when asked about his earlier comments. 'No,' he said, 'I just went out the gate and just lost control, just fell down.

'My back wheel slipped and totally lost control and then I couldn’t handle the bike any more and just crashed.'

There was also gold for Britain in the double trap clay shooting with farmer’s son Peter Wilson. And Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie won the canoe slalom pairs.

The pain and the pride

It was an evening of high drama, ecstasy and total heartbreak.

Amid extraordinary noise and excitement from 6,000 packed in the Velodrome, champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy joined Sir Steve Redgrave on five gold medals – the most by any British Olympian – as he led home the three-man team sprint in a world record time.
But his victory came just 37 minutes after the shattering disqualification of British golden girl Victoria Pendleton and her partner Jess Varnish in the women’s sprint.
There were gasps of disbelief from a crowd including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and David Cameron, as it was announced that the gold medal favourites had been ‘relegated’ after Pendleton appeared to move too early at the end of the first lap of the two-lap race.

Emotional Chris Hoy wipes away tears as the team take to the podium

Hoy is now Britain's greatest ever gold medal winner with five, alongside rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave

Record breaker: An exhausted Hoy celebrates with coach Shane Sutton at the side of the Velodrome track after his triumph in the Men's Team Sprint Track final

The devastated 31-year-old had seen her dream of three gold medals in London – her final championship before retiring – vanish in the blink of an eye.

Devastated: A shattered Victoria Pendleton has her dream dashed by disqualification

She tearfully buried her head in her hands, shaking her head in disbelief.
Britain’s cycling boss David Brailsford hurled a water bottle at a wall in frustration, while a clearly shocked Pendleton was comforted by Hoy.
She then went backstage where she was seen ‘sobbing’ with friends and family. Her partner, Jess Varnish – who is not competing in any other event – left the building without giving interviews.
Pendleton and Varnish had made a blistering start to their campaign, setting a new world record in their qualifying round only to see China better it in the next heat. They were set for a gold medal race-off against China, but then officials said they had been relegated.
Pendleton said: ‘I’m desperately disappointed for Jess because she has done an incredible job in getting this far.
'Her team sprint today was the best of her life so far. I’ve no doubt she will be back in Rio and absolutely smashing it. I’m sorry for disappointing all the people that have come to support us and perhaps not offering the ride that we would have done. I’m really sorry.’
The cyclist, who has two events left – the individual sprint and keirin – admitted: ‘We’re both partly to blame. We were a bit overwhelmed by the moment.’

Flagging: Five-time gold medal winner Hoy, draped in the Union Jack, becomes emotional as his Olympic win sinks in

Proud to be British: Hoy soaks up the adulation of the fervent home support inside the Velodrome after his historic win

Enlarge

Last night the German sprint pair who took gold called for a change in ‘weird’ rules governing technical disqualifications.
‘It is not the way we wanted to win,’ one said.
The contrast could not have been greater to the celebrations that greeted Hoy’s victory with Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes as they defeated France in a thrilling final win that took Britain’s gold medal tally to five – three in one day.

In formation: Great Britain's men ride towards their new world record as the Velodrome crowd look on

Philip Hindes (front), Jason Kenny (C) and Sir Chris Hoy (back) led from the start and never gave France the chance to catch them

Packed out: Great Britain's riders were roared to victory by a vociferous Velodrome crowd this evening

DID HOY'S TEAM-MATE CRASH DELIBERATELY?

Questions were raised last night over Britain’s spectacular cycling win after one of the team appeared to claim he had deliberately fallen off in one of the heats.
The British team were allowed to restart the qualifier after Philip Hindes crashed seconds into the race. He later helped propel Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny to two world records and Olympic gold.
The 19-year-old, born in Germany, seemed to suggests the crash was part of a deliberate ploy, saying: ‘We were saying: “If we have a bad start, we need to crash to get a restart”. I just crashed, I did it on purpose to get a restart, just to have the fastest ride. I did it. So it was all planned, really.’
Last night British Cycling said Hindes’s comments were ‘lost in translation’ from a man who began learning English only after moving to Manchester two years ago. The International Cycling Association confirmed the incident had been reviewed at the time and the result was not in question.
Neither silver medallists France nor Germany, who won the bronze, said they would be protesting. There is no rule to govern such an incident and no appeal is possible.
Hindes later denied the crash was deliberate. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I just went out the gate and just lost control, just fell down.’

Hoy was in tears as Princess Anne presented him with a fifth gold of his career, a second for Kenny and a first for Hindes, 19, who competed for Germany, the country of his birth, as a junior and joined Team GB earlier this year, qualifying because his father is British.
‘It’s quite overwhelming,’ Hoy said. ‘We knew it was possible but it’s easier said than done for everyone to come good on the same day.
‘I feel immense pride to be able to do this in London, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I can’t overstate what it means. This is the most memorable medal of my career.’
He said the crowd and noise had made a ‘huge’ difference.
With the doors closed and the heating turned up, the conditions were said to be ideal for fast riding in the Velodrome, which had been built under the direction of Hoy.
And he did not disappoint, afterwards milking the applause as David Bowie’s Heroes played and the crowd acclaimed their own Team GB heroes.
'Now and again rubbish things happen and this is one of those days. The only positives I can take is that I know I am in really good form because that was the fastest second lap I have done. I just need to get my head down and concentrate on the races to come.
'I'm desperately disappointed for Jess Varnish because she has done an incredible job in getting this far.
'Her team sprint today was the best of her life so far. I've no doubt she will be back in Rio and absolutely smashing it. I'm sorry for disappointing all the people that have come to support us and perhaps not offering the ride that we would have done. I'm really sorry.'