In Medal Count, It's 'Haul' Britannia

With that decision, Britain launched into a full-scale building program -- one that involved not only bricks and mortar, but also bodies. Specifically, it set a robust goal of finishing fourth in the gold medal standings in 2012 -- up from its 10th-place showing in 2004.

Said Simon Clegg, chief executive of the British Olympic Association: "The government realized that the men and women in the street in our country will judge the success of the Games in 2012 not by how efficient the transportation is or how beautiful the architecture is, but by how many British athletes stand on the podium."

As Beijing proved, Britain is ahead of schedule -- fourth in the gold medal standings and trailing only China, the United States and Russia.

Much of that success stems from Britain's traditional prowess in what some derisively refer to as "the sitting-down sports" -- cycling, sailing and rowing.

But even those teams are flexing new muscle thanks to the infusion of cash. Britain spent a record $470 million on preparing its athletes for Beijing. And officials said they plan to spend about $800 million more helping their high-performance athletes gear up for 2012.

In Beijing, British track cyclists flat-out embarrassed the field, winning seven of the 10 gold medals offered.

Chris Hoy, 32, a Scot famous for his massive thighs, claimed three of those gold medals, becoming the second-most successful Olympian in British history, bowing only to Stephen Redgrave, who won five rowing gold medals from 1984 to 2000.

According to Jamie Staff, 35, who teamed with Hoy and Jason Kenny to upset world champion France for gold in the men's team sprint, the rout was the result of heart and dollars -- with the money funding everything from sports psychologists, revolutionary rubberized racing suits and racing bikes that reportedly cost $26,000 each.

Said Staff, "With the lottery funding, we have the best coaches, the best equipment, the best of everything in the world."

Britain's sailors also dominated, winning six medals -- including four gold medals -- in the regattas in Qingdao.

Thanks to sailing's share of lottery money -- roughly $4 million a year -- all 18 members of the Olympic team now receive stipends enabling them to train full time. The team also has its first corporate title sponsor, the insurance and investment company Skandia.

As a result of the largesse, Britain's Olympic sailors can afford to ship their boats to regattas all over the world (nine container loads were shipped from Britain to Qingdao) and travel with a staff that includes a fitness trainer, physiologist, nutritionist, psychologist, boat-repair and maintenance workers, and a full-time chef.