Great Britain’s victorious men’s team sprint squad has received the stamp of approval.
Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny, and Phillip Hindes, have become the latest athletes immortalised by the Royal Mail in a collection to commemorate the achievements of the home nation’s gold medalists.
Cycling’s latest golden boys, who followed Bradley Wiggins’ time trial triumph on Wednesday with victory last night in the velodrome, received their medals at around 7pm.
Work on their stamp began just 10 minutes after LOCOG confirmed the result, with the Royal Mail’s design team choosing an image from a selection supplied by an official Games photographer.
The Royal Mail told RCUK the image is “invariably an action shot” and one taken near or at the end of the competition.
The stamps were available at more than 500 Post Office branches this morning, priced at the standard First Class price of 60p a stamp, or in books of six priced at £3.60. A further 4,700 branches will stock them in following days.
RCUK dashed to the nearest post office to buy a set this morning and returned with a set showing the team in lap one formation, with Philip Hindes at ‘man one’, Jason Kenny on his wheel, and Sir Chris Hoy at ‘man three’.
The move is not without precedent. Earlier this week, Wiggins’ gold medal winning ride in the men’s time trial received the same treatment. He is pictured on the stamp rising the saddle, his hands on the base bar of his time trial bike, roared on by a crowd behind a ‘wall’ of Union flags draped over barriers.
A post box in Chorley near Wiggins’ Lancashire home has been painted gold.
Who will be next to feature on a stamp? Vicky Pendleton and the men’s team pursuit squad will contest medals today. Check back later for a full report.
