Much was made about the sporting powerhouse that is Yorkshire during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
‘God’s Own County’ (as they like to call themselves) was a medal-winning machine when Britain hosted the Olympics four years ago, with its athletes bagging seven golds in a 12-medal haul.
If Yorkshire was an independent country, and there are many folk who would like it to be, it would have finished 12th in the medal tables that year.
Yorkshire isn’t doing too badly this time round in Rio either as Team GB beat 2012’s record medal hall to finish a historic second place in the medal table above China, Russia and Australia. Even the small Yorkshire town of Huddersfield was beating the likes of Ireland, Portugal and India with it’s one gold and one bronze.
But there’s a new sporting powerhouse in Britain in 2016 across the other side of the Pennines – Manchester.
The famous footballing city and the home of Oasis and the Stone Roses can now claim to be the champion of elite sport in Great Britain… and it’s largely down to cycling.
The MEN report that if Manchester was a country it would have finished an incredible fourth in the Rio medal standings.
Image credit: Manchester Evening News
Athletes born or based in Manchester have won a staggering total of 24 medals in Brazil – dwarfing Yorkshire and many massive world nations.
With a population of just 2.3m, the city won an exceptional 18 golds, five silvers and one bronze. That’s more than sixth place Russia with a population of 150 million, which won just 13 golds.
It’s no wonder it has been chosen as the hosts of Britain’s Olympic homecoming parade in October.
Manchester’s glittering medal haul looks like this…
Gold
Laura Trott – two gold medals in women’s omnium and women’s team pursuit
Jason Kenny – three gold medals in men’s keirin, men’s sprint and men’s team sprint
Callum Skinner – one gold medal in men’s team sprint
Katie Archibald – one gold in the women’s team pursuit
Elinor Barker – one gold in the women’s team pursuit
Ciara Horne – one gold in the women’s team pursuit
Jo Rowsell Shand – one gold in the women’s team pursuit
Philip Hindes – one gold medal in the track sprint
Katy Marchant – one bronze medal in the women’s sprint
Bradley Wiggins – one gold medal in the men’s team pursuit
Jade Jones – one gold in the women’s 75kg taekwondo
Nicola White – gold in the women’s hockey
Kate Richardson-White – gold in the women’s hockey
Owain Doull – gold in team pursuit
Ed Clancy – gold in team pursuit
(Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)Silver
Becky James – two silvers in cycling
Mark Cavendish – silver in the omnium
Lutalo Muhammad – silver in the 80kg men’s taekwando
Callum Skinner – one silver medal in the individual sprint
Bronze
Katy Marchant – one bronze medal in the women’s sprint
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