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Yearender: Olympics sparkle at height of magical British summer

Updated: 2012-12-28 09:16

(Agencies)

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Yearender: Olympics sparkle at height of magical British summer

Britain's Bradley Wiggins waits to start in the men's cycling individual time trial at the London Olympic Games on Aug 1, 2012. Wiggins won the gold, bringing Britain its second title of the Games so far. [Photo/Agencies]

Wiggins, who had survived the worst life could throw at him, triumphed in the most brutal and demanding of the European road cycling classics.

Abandoned at the age of two by his alcoholic Australian father, himself a professional cyclist who was found dead of head injuries on a street in 2008, Wiggins fought his way out of a council estate with gritty determination and drive.

His victory in the Tour, possibly the greatest individual British sporting achievement of the year and followed by a fourth Olympic gold, was accompanied by unwelcome if not unexpected baggage.

Because the sport in general and the Tour in particular are notoriously drug-tainted, Wiggins was forced to endure a barrage of questions about doping during and after the race.

"If I doped I would potentially stand to lose everything," he responded. "My reputation, my livelihood, my marriage, my family, my house... my Olympic titles, my world titles."

The questions, to Wiggins and his rivals, will not go away soon.

Later in the year, American Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after the US Anti-Doping Agency published a report accusing him of being involved in the "most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen". Armstrong continued to deny ever taking drugs but elected not to contest the charges, which the sporting authorities took as an effective admission of guilt.

Murray's breakthrough came after he avenged his Wimbledon final defeat to Roger Federer to beat the Swiss master in the Olympic final.

Serena Williams collected gold in the singles and doubles during a winning streak when she added the Wimbledon and US Open titles to her trophy cabinet.