Wiggins, who also won the individual pursuit, Paul Manning, Geraint Thomas and Ed Clancy finished the 4,000 metres event in 3min 53.314sec and finished 6.7sec ahead of Denmark.

 

It was first time since the London 1908 Olympic Games that Britain have won the gold medal in the team pursuit and made up for their defeat by Australia in four years ago.

 

Today’s gold also makes it Britain’s biggest overall gold medal haul at an Olympic Games since at Antwerp in 1920.

It was also a landmark for Wiggins, who takes his Olympic medal haul to six, including three golds, from his three Games.

Londoner Wiggins, 28, has a chance for a third gold of these Games and the fourth of his career when he combines with Tour de France hero Mark Cavendish for the Madison tomorrow.

 

Wiggins said: "It's phenomenal.

 

"On Sunday I was pretty down after the first couple of rounds, I was mainly disappointed because I didn't want to let these guys down.

 

"I was on the back foot a bit because it was a tough day the day before.

 

"But these guys sacrificed a lot.

 

"It's just fantastic to be part of this team - we've come a long way in four years.

 

"And to put a time like that on the board is phenomenal really.

 

"I'm just delighted, I really am."

 

After hearing that the team had 1.888sec off the world record they had set in qualifying, Thomas said: "I just cannot believe it.

 

"We knew it was fast, but 3:53.3.

 

"That's going to go down in history, that time won't be broken in a long time, we're the best team in the world."

 

Britain has now five of the seven events contested on the track so far and that, added to Nicole Cooke's victory in the women's race on the second day of competition in the Games, means that they have won six gold medals and 11 overall.

 

There is also the possibility of another four gold medals on the track and in BMX, including a third medal of these Olympics for Chris Hoy in the sprint tomorrow.

 

The target they had been set by UK Sport, the Government agency that distributes National Lottery funding, was a total of six.

 

Wiggins has his own dream of winning 10 Olympic gold medals before he retires and has set himself a target of three in Beijing.

 

He said: "I set out to do that.

 

"I believed I could do it.

 

"But to put it into practice is another thing.

 

"It's such a relief when you do it and cross the line."