OLYMPIC cyclist Steven Burke from Colne stormed his way to a bronze medalist in Beijing just 48 hours after being told he had been picked to represent his country.
His performance means his name will go down in British Olympic history as one of the athletes crowned on "Super Saturday".
>> Watch the video of Steven's race hereStev
en, of Temple Street, Colne, the youngest member of the cycling squad, was selected to represent Team GB in the men's individual pursuit and rode to victory alongside Bradley Wiggins, who took the gold medal in the same event.
Dubbed "Burke the Bullet" for finishing third quickest in the semi-final qualifier, the former Park High School pupil completed the 4,000m distance in 4 min 22.2 secs – nine seconds faster than his personal best and described by a BBC commentator as an improvement "by a country mile".
Londoner Wiggins - who has taken part in the Tour of Pendle and Colne Grand Prix in the past - was the fastest in qualifying, with an Olympic record and personal best time of 4 min 15.031 secs.
The eight riders who moved on from Friday's qualifying round were pared down to four finalists – Wiggins, Burke, Hayden Roulston (New Zealand) and Alexei Markov (Russia). Wiggins and Roulston continued as the only riders to clock within 4 minutes 20, and went head-to-head for the gold medal.
In the bronze medal ride, Burke came from behind to overhaul Markov in the final kilometre and claimed the podium spot.
The gold medal final followed a similar format, with Roulston initially taking control, only to be steadily reeled in by Wiggins.
As the former Colne Park High School pupil made his way round the track in the qualifying round, the commentator said: "It was a good move by GB to start Steven Burke here. Gives the younger ones a feel for what they're in for in a few days.
"He's a very powerful rider, Burke. One of the men we'll be looking towards when getting to London in 2012."
It was also mentioned that Steven is "from Colne - all the way up there in Lancashire," and not from Burnley, where Steven said he is more often than not linked with as it is his birth place.
The Mayor of Pendle, Coun. Shelagh Derwent passed her congratulations on to Steven. She said: "It's just wonderful - absolutely fanastic! I willed him on every inch of the way - I've never been so glued to my TV. He's certainly done us proud and we must do something to honour him. He'll be just great for 2012."
After the qualifier, Steven admitted it was "a bit of a shock" to have been chosen for the men's individual pursuit.
He was originally out there as the fifth man for the team pursuit race - which was still to take place before we went to press.
He said: "It's my personal best, so I can't complain. I haven't ridden a 4K for a year now, so it was a bit of a shock when I was told I was to do the individual pursuit, but I just got on with it, really."
Sports Reporter Claire Balding added: "What a way to make your Olympic debut! No sign of nerves there for Steven Burke. A terrific ride and a superb talent."
Steven's parents, Alvin and Sharon, found tickets for Beijing hard to come by, but Sharon said: "We'll stay up all night if we have to, just to watch him."
