VICIOUS CYCLE
I smashed up Sports Personality of the Year trophy and my Olympic medals are in a plastic bag – I had imposter syndrome
Legendary Olympian was motivated by absent father's cruel comment
SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS revealed he smashed up his Sports Personality of the Year trophy - and his Olympics medals are in a plastic bag.
The legendary cyclist is the third-most successful British athlete in Olympic history.
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He won five golds, a silver and two bronzes across five Games from 2000 to 2016.
And his road time trial gold at the home London 2012 Olympics alongside his historic Tour de France glory in the same year saw him voted SPOTY winner.
However, Wiggins admitted his struggles with imposter syndrome saw him destroy various trophies and hide his medals away.
He described the condition as "an inability to believe that your achievements, training and hard work have resulted in you being successful".
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The Belgium-born star, 43, told the : "My Olympics medals are just in a carrier bag somewhere.
"I had a really bad period in 2019, my wife was struggling with mental illness and I was losing the plot big style.
"I smashed all my trophies - my BBC Sports Personality of the Year trophy, my knighthood trophy, not the achievement medals from cycling but the things that came as a byproduct of cycling, the awards."
Wiggins' father walked out on his family when he was a toddler.
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And when they did meet when Wiggins was breaking through as a 19-year-old rising star in cycling, his dad - who also made a career in racing bikes - told him: "You'll never be as good as me."
Wiggo - who was also groomed and abused as a child - used that as motivation to spur him on to incredible heights in the sport, including his sensational Olympics and Tour de France double in 2012 that has never been managed by anyone else.
He added: "A lot of my cycling was running away from my past really, it was a good distraction, and a lot is intrinsically linked to my father and the lack of a father figure.
"On the bike I was so confident but when I stepped off it I became Bradley Wiggins - the bike was where I was most comfortable.
"I had to be funny and perform for the cameras."
And his superb success in the saddle saw Wiggins knighted by the Queen in 2013.
He continued: "It was offered to me and I told my nan I didn't really want to take it. I felt like it was against who we were but she said Grandad would turn in his grave.
"The day I received it was the day this syndrome hit like a brick.
"I couldn't get it on the day of other athletes so I was there with a lot of military personnel.
"Queuing with them was a humbling experience, I felt anything but a hero that day. Guys missing limbs were asking for photos.
"That was a fraudulent day feeling as though I was worthy of a knighthood."
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Wiggins retired in 2016 and now works as a pundit with Eurosport - but at the end of last year he was at risk of being declared bankrupt after failing to pay back debts totalling £1milion.
His son Ben is now following in his father's footsteps by taking up cycling - and could even compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
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