Golden Matt Pedals Us Past 50 Medals Target

Olympics: glory story continues

- Paul Jeeves

WHY DELUDED EU FANATICS THINK THEY’RE THE BIG WINNERS...

BRUSSELS boasts that the EU is the world’s strongest sporting power and has the Olympics in the bag.

Deluded fanatics said athletes should sport the bloc’s flag when competing in Tokyo.

They said the 27 EU countries had scooped as many as 229 medals, beating Britain, the US and China. Arch-federalist and Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt said: “I’d love to see the EU flag next to the national on athletes’ clothes.” Polish MEP Radek Sikorski posted an unofficial social media medal count, saying: “EU rules OK.”

But actually the UK is the best-performing European country at the Games.

BRITAIN’S Olympic heroes zipped past their medal target after rookie track cyclist Matt Walls clinched the benchmarch 50th with gold in the Velodrome.

Matt, 23, had a gutsy win to take Britain’s 16th gold, while Holly Bradshaw and Liam Heath secured bronze in the pole vault and kayak.

The trio served up the highlights as Team GB reached 51 medals on day 13 of the Games, equalling the number won at Beijing 2008 with three days of competition still to go.

Sitting sixth in the overall medal table, Great Britain is assured of passing that mark after boxer Galal Yafai won a thrilling semi-final to reach the gold-medal match in the 52kg flyweight division.

Sprint star Dina Asher-Smith made a return to the track as Britain’s 4x100m relay team secured a place in today’s final.

Matt, who had Covid in March, shed tears of joy as he received his medal.