Bethany Shriever exhausted and can barely walk with ‘lactic acid’ as she swears on live TV after heroic BMX win at Tokyo
OVERJOYED Bethany Shriever apologised for swearing live on BBC TV after a stunning Olympic BMX gold medal.
The East London cyclist dominated the three semi-final runs and then carried that fine form in the final in a time of 44.358 seconds.
Bethany Shriever = Olympic champion
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The 22-year-old beat the two-time defending champion Mariana Pajon from Colombian by 0.09 seconds in an event delayed by torrential rain overnight.
She put so much in, she virtually lost the use of her legs as she stepped off her bike after the race.
Thankfully, Team GB team-mate – and silver medal winner – Kye White was there to scoop her up.
It came after South Londoner Whyte secured a silver medal in the men’s race in his first Olympics appearance, the 21-year-old coming second to Dutchman Niek Kimmann.
Shriever was so stunned by the result and Whyte’s display that she let slip an expletive while being interviewed live to millions.
She said: “Honestly I’m in shock. Oh my god.
“To be here is an achievement in itself. To make a final is an achievement in itself.
“To come away with a medal, let alone a gold, is crazy.
“I owe a lot to everyone. This means so much. I am so grateful for the support of people waking up. I am overwhelmed.
“Gold wasn’t my goal. Results are out of our control. I wanted to keep to my routine and keep my cool round the track. I managed to hold on and take the win.
“I was almost crying after Kye’s silver. I watched it before going up. I had to keep my cool and reset. And just f**king…sorry, sorry.
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“I had to dig in. I had no legs left. I gave it everything I had. I had nothing left.
“The lactic acid was crazy. I gave it absolutely everything I had. I was rewarded, it is amazing.
“I cannot put this into words. This is every athlete’s dream and I have done it.”
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