Reade only wants gold

Despite it costing her a medal at her first Olympics, GB's BMX star Shanaze Reade will retain her gold-or-nothing mentality.

The19-year-old from Crewe tried to cut in front of Anne-Caroline Chausson as the Frenchwoman led into the final bend, which cost Reade a certain silver medal.

As Reade clipped Chausson's back wheel and hit the tarmac, the long-odds gamble clearly did not pay off for the British star.

She was relegated for her risky manoeuvre, the commissaire placing her in last position behind non-finisher Sammy Cools of Canada, despite getting up after lying on the floor for 20 seconds to roll over the finishing line.

"Why settle for silver?" Reade said.

"I don't train and train as hard as I've done for a silver medal. It's all about the gold or nothing.

"I've put absolutely everything into this and the gold was still open and like I say, it's never over until the finish line."

Cautious

Double world champion Reade has not lost a final in three years but over two day's racing she fell twice so it was understandable that, despite having the quickest start, she was cautious going into the initial curve.

Reade attempted, and failed, to pull off a trick on the final bend to narrow Chausson's lead. The fall let Le Corguille in for the silver and Jill Kinter for the bronze.

"I may have done something to my hand, I've done something to my sciatic nerve, I've cut my shoulder open, I've done quite a few things," Reade said.

"I guess they say you have to learn the hard way," she said.

Olympic champion Chausson, a former downhill mountain-biker, described BMX as a "warrior sport".

"In BMX you never really know where the others are and in the last straight, I certainly wasn't going to give up," said Chausson, who Reade believed she had been "cut short" by.

"I believe she made an error, and all the better for the French team," said Chausson.

Reade said: "I'm going to turn it around and show everyone just what I'm made of."