Britain`s Queally wins gold after avoiding `proper job`

Jason Queally`s efforts at avoiding a "proper job" paid off on Friday when the 40-year-old Briton won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the European track championships.

Queally, who won Kilo gold at the 2000 Olympics, has turned from sprints to endurance racing in the hope of competing at the London Games in 2012 after coming out of retirement. "My ambition in life is to stay and play for as long as possible, I don`t want to go out and have a proper job like normal people," he told to reporters. "I`m 40 years old, still riding my bike and getting paid for it, and it keeps me away from the real world. "Fortunately my federation is very open minded and willing to engage with people like me. Most nations would have told me to go away, this is a young man`s game..." Queally`s previous medal-winning ride was at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne where he won silver in the team sprint and km time trial events. But his debut in international competition at endurance level was not straightforward. "It was hard, but I didn`t expect it to be easy, I`m still getting back into it," Queally said after qualifying, where Britain clocked the fastest time. "I dropped off after three kilometres (of four) and I was praying I might be able to try and get back in, but it would have slowed them down." "It was my first team pursuit competition and I still feel there`s a lot more to come, if there wasn`t I wouldn`t be here," he added. "I need more aerobic capacity, but there`s been some progression, and I`m still retaining my sprint ability." Bureau Report