Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics of medals won to 51. Great Britain finished 4th overall in the medal tables, a target previously set by UK Sport, the public body responsible for distributing funding to elite sport, for the 2012 Games. UK Sport considered whether to target 3rd place in the 2012 Games, which was hosted by the United Kingdom in London. Cyclist Chris Hoy became the first British athlete in 100 years to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. Because London was to be host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics, a British segment was performed during the closing ceremony. The following
Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's individual pursuit Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's individual pursuit The men's individual pursuit at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on August 16 at the Laoshan Velodrome. The pre-event favorite to win the gold medal was the defending Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain, who managed to retain the title, setting a new Olympic record in the preliminary round. Eighteen cyclists qualified for this event. Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain), the defending Olympic champion, qualified for winning the individual pursuit at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Volodymyr Dyudya (Ukraine) qualified at the late 2007 UCI World Cup