Dani King, Laura Trott, and Joanna Rowsell won gold and set multiple world records in the cycling Women’s Team Pursuit.
The women in Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games have had an amazing record to date. They have achieved almost half of the very impressive total medal haul of the GB team, either individually or as members of teams – either mixed gender or all girls!
The first medals to be won by Team GB in London were following the success of female members of the team – Lizzie Armitstead brought home the country’s first cycling medal in the Women’s Road Race while Heather Stanning and Helen Glover rowed to glory achieving gold in the Coxless Pairs – incidentally the first ever gold won by a female rower for Great Britain. Jessica Ennis achieved some phenomenal personal bests in her journey to a gold medal in the Heptathlon – in which she achieved one of the greatest total scores of all time and Beth Tweddle proved that you should never give up on your dream by finally achieving an Olympic medal in what is undoubtedly her last Games before she retires as a gymnast.
Meanwhile in another cycling achievement the Women’s Team Pursuit girls – Joanna Rowsell, Dani King and Laura Trott – succeeded in breaking the World Record not once but THREE times as they sped around the Velodrome track to Olympic glory this week. Laura Trott has since gone on to become a double Olympic Champion, winning gold in the Women’s Omnium. As a volunteer Games Maker at the Velodrome, BMX, and Basketball precinct I was lucky enough to witness first hand two of the world records which the GB Team Pursuit girls smashed which was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
I have also seen every other medal achievement by Team GB on television and have been a part of the amazing and electric atmosphere within the Olympic Park on a daily basis – seeing it grow since two days before the Opening Ceremony on July 27th!
We still have a few medal hopes within our women – Shanaze Reade is the World BMX Champion already. However, whatever the achievements of the GB Team athletes – male or female – in the final few days of the competition, it must be recognised that the Team GB girls have achieved exceptional things in these few short weeks. They have excited and inspired a young girl I know already, who has regularly forgone her usual cartoons in order to watch the Olympic Games coverage on television, as well as myself and I am certain that they will continue to inspire generations of girls for years to come.
-Jessica Galley
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.