words Hamish Stuart pictures Steve Pope
When Nicole Cooke was aged
just 12 and beating the best boys
in Wales, her father Tony knew
he had a potential Olympic gold
medallist in the family.
What he did not know was the scale of the
massive battles ahead before that potential
was fulfilled in Beijing, including being told in
writing that Nicole would never represent
Great Britain again – which would have
barred her from the Olympics.
It is a staggering e-mail from those in charge
of British cycling just five years ago – after
all she won Commonwealth Games Gold in
Manchester in 2002 - but it was their way
or the highway as far as those officials were
concerned and the Cooke family have always
been prepared to follow their own road.
That was the case even though they were
risking permanent exclusion from Team GB
and never being able to go to an Olympic
Games - never mind getting the back-up
to compete realistically for medals.
Getting both overturned gives a
whole new meaning to the phrase
‘raising the bar.’
Tony Cooke has always
taken up those battles with
officialdom to get the best
for his daughter. Mention
of his name in cycling
circles guarantees
a raising of the
eyebrows . . . at
least.
sportingwales
issue4twothousand&eight
SW_Issue4.indd 20 10/10/08 10:59:50
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