Sport 19-09-2000 Cyclist Yvonne McGregor Wins Olympic Bronze who: Cyclist Yvonne McGregor what: Wins bronze medal in Olympic Games where: Sydney when: Yesterday snippet: "A Yorkshirewoman who did not take up cycling until her 30s has become the oldest female to win an Olympic medal in the sport," reports The Times today. "Yvonne McGregor, 39, also became Britain`s first women`s Olympic cycling medallist when she took the bronze in the pursuit event by a tenth of a second." The sporting career of the Bradford-born 1994 Commonwealth Games gold medal winner almost came to an end last year with a severe back problem, but a series of cortisone injections allowed her to continue with only two months off. "I was determined to get to these Games," she said yesterday. "Looking back, maybe the lay-off has been a blessing in disguise." "At Sydney`s Dunc Gray velo drome yesterday evening, McGregor slouched over her bike seconds after the finishing gun echoed around the venue in the race for the bronze medal," says The Guardian`s Vivek Chaudhary. "She gazed up at the scoreboard and burst into tears." Ms McGregor said that Britain`s cycling achievements in Sydney would not have been possible without funding from the National Lottery. "The contract with the Lottery people stated we had to bring back at least two bronze medals or else the grants would be cut," she said. "We have met their demands - and I think there are still more medals left in the cycling team." [... more]

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