British cyclist Chris Hoy clinched a hat-trick of gold medals as he beat team-mate Jason Kenny in the sprint.

The 32-year-old becomes the first Briton in 100 years to win three golds at the same Beijing Olympics 2008, after his earlier success in the team sprint and keirin.

The Scot was pushed to the limit in the first race by his 20-year-old opponent, edging the opening duel in the best-of-three by half a wheel’s length. Hoy dominated the second race, giving a victory salute as he crossed the line. “I cannot tell you how it feels - it is amazing,” Hoy told BBC Sport.

“When you cross the line, all the pressure that has built up, the expectation and the self doubt evaporates just like that. Kenny has come through the ranks and he is the man who will win in London 2012. “When you want something that much and the hours you put in, it is an amazing feeling when you achieve it.” Hoy becomes only the second Briton to win three golds at the same Games after swimmer Henry Taylor did likewise in London in 1908. And he added: “I was vaguely aware of the history, people tell you about it. But I tried to make it the furthest thought from my mind. “And that’s why the emotions come out at the end. You bottle it for so long that it just erupts at the end.” Hoy has now won gold in four separate Olympic events - he won the now-defunct 1km time trial at Athens in 2004.

The bronze medal went to Mickael Bourgain of France after he dominated Germany’s Maximilian Levy in a third-leg decider. Hoy’s gold was the last to be decided in the velodrome and left the British men with an incredible haul of seven golds from a possible 10 in track cycling in Beijing. It was also Team GB’s 15th gold medal of the Games, keeping them third in the medal table. [BBC NEWS]

Michael Phelps won his eighth Olympic gold medal of the Beijing Games to beat Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven, with victory in the 4×100m medley.

The 23-year-old American teamed up with Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Jason Lezak to claim the historic gold in a new world record time.

They held off Australia and Japan to claim glory in a world record time of three minutes 29.34 seconds. Great Britain’s quartet finished back in sixth place. Phelps had already won the 400m medley, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 4×100m free relay, 4×200m free relay, 200m medley and the 100m buttefly.

It also took his Olympic medal haul to 14 golds and 16 overall. Victory in the 4×100m relay rounded off a remarkable Olympics for Phelps who has dominated the action in the Water Cube, also setting seven world records. But Sunday’s relay victory was far from starightforward with Lezak on the last lap pushed all the way by Australian Eamon Sullivan who narrowly missed out on spoling the Phelps party. Phelps admitted to being overwhelmed after achieving his feat, and was quick to pay tribute to his US team-mates. “I don’t even know what to feel right now,” Phelps said. “There’s so much emotions going through my head and so much excitement. I kind of just want to see my mom. [BBC NEWS]

Swimming superstar Michael Phelps matched Mark Spitz’s 1972 Munich Games record of seven gold medals by winning a thrilling 100m butterfly final in Beijing Olympics 2008.

Phelps, 23, was seventh at the turn but stormed back to edge out Serbia’s Milorad Cavic by just one hundredth of a second in a time of 50.58 seconds.

Serbia lodged a complaint against the result but the American’s win was subsequently confirmed by officials. Phelps is seeking a record eighth gold medal in Sunday’s 4×100m medley final. He had already won the 400m medley, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 4×100m free relay, 4×200m free relay and the 200m medley, all in world record time. I feel a little bit of everything - relief, excitement, everything. And while his victory in the 100m fly was not a world record, it was a new Olympic record after making up a deficit of more than half a second in the final length. Like a pair of heavyweights before a title bout, Cavic and Phelps tried to stare each other out on the starting blocks. And Cavic’s self-belief and ferocious effort meant Phelps trailed his rival with just 10m to go.

It looked as if Phelps’s incredible bid to equal Spitz’s record was over but the American turned on the power and, as Cavic reached for the wall, gambled with one more stroke. “I actually thought I had lost the race right there, but I guess that was the difference in the end,” said Phelps, who pounded the water in triumph and screamed with delight after checking the result on the scoreboard. “When I saw the 50.58 and the 50.59 and I saw the ‘1′ next to my name, that’s when I let my roar out. “I really don’t know what to say. I guess I’ve had the perfect situations all week. “I was shocked at the end, it was kind of a little bit of a delayed reaction. “I feel a little bit of everything - relief, excitement, everything. I had to take my goggles off to make sure the ‘1′ was next to my name.

“I just have one race left, the relay, and then it’s done. “Tying Spitz’s record is pretty cool. It’s great to be a part of all of this.” Spitz himself, now 58, had nothing but praise for Phelps’s achievement. “Not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he’s maybe the greatest athlete of all time,” said Spitz. Cavic lost out on the final stroke but there was a feeling around the Water Cube that officials had been too quick to award the gold to the American. But race referee Ben Ekumbo said: “Under our rules we do listen to protests. We looked at video footage and it was very clear the Serbian swimmer touched second, after Phelps. One was stroking and one was gliding. “Two independent timing systems showed exactly the same on the time. Phelps was 50.58, Cavic was 50.59. “The automatic timing systems are in perfect order and there are no doubts.” [BBC NEWS]