Harvey Smith on Nick

“HE was always so dedicated, and he just improved until he won the gold medal in Rio.

“When Nick first started out, David Broome and I were the leaders, so when the next generation came through – Nick, John and Michael Whitaker – they had the best schooling ground because the only way they were ever going to win was by getting as good as us. We raised the bar for them, if you like.

“We doubted Nick a bit when he first joined us on Nations Cup teams because he always seemed to be riding as an individual; to him it was all about the grand prix. But as time went on, he became more of a team player – the best team player there was, in fact.”