• London Olympics 2012

Houvenaghel seriously aggrieved at missed medal

Wendy Houvenaghel was unable to ride in the women's team pursuit and is extremely unhappy at missing out on gold © PA Photos

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Team GB women's pursuit team member Wendy Houvenaghel has launched a scathing criticism of the selection process which denied her a gold medal.

The Northern Irishwoman was part of the four-member women's line-up along with Dani King, Laura Trott and Jo Rowsell at London 2012 but was left out of the three-rider selection for the final, as well as the preceding rounds in the competition.

Houvenaghel would have received a medal had she ridden in any of the rounds leading up to the final, and feels seriously aggrieved that she had been led to believe she would ride before receiving the crushing news shortly before Saturday's final at the Velodrome.

"I was part of a four-woman pursuit team and was prevented from taking part in one, if not two of the rounds which secured the gold medal," Houvenaghel told Sky Sports News. "So I leave the Olympics without what I perceive as my gold medal and Northern Ireland has been denied their first gold medal in 40 years, based on the decision of one person. It is disappointing.

"One of the members of the management staff made a very important decision which has had this outcome and it just feels very strange that one person can make such a decision with no good reason, and prevent me from riding effectively.

"He left me out of the World Championship winning line-up and I've been part of a World Championship winning team for three years, and I think the other year we got a silver medal. The fact is I feel aggrieved that this hasn't shown what I am capable of and I have been constructively dismissed from this team."

Houvenaghel added: "This has been something I've been working on for four years now and it's hard to take."

The 37-year-old congratulated her three team-mates on their achievement and said her grievance lay solely with the unnamed member of management staff.

"I was really pleased for them, they are my team-mates and I have trained for two years with them and been through all the different training situations. We worked really hard for this and for me it hasn't happened," she said.

"Training suggested that all of us were going very well together, any particular line-up was going well and there was no one line-up that was particularly stronger than any other. Given the format of the Olympic Games and that there were three rounds to be ridden, and with one of the riders being sick on the day of the final, that rider rode two rounds and I didn't get to take part at all - I feel perhaps the strongest line-up was not competing on competition day.

"That's just something that I feel that perhaps the nation does need to know, and also a little it feels like I have been victimised in some way."

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