I hope some day you'll join us... and the wo-o-o-orld will be as one......

Well, here we are.  When listening to Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, you eventually reach “A Day In The Life”.  With (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, it is “Champagne Supernova”.  The closing track.  The ending.  The finish.  The conclusion.  The reflection.  The celebration.

This Blog post is the toughest one of them all to write.  All of my 19 previous posts have been penned with meticulous precision and purpose (yes, yes... and my general waffling that goes off at a drastic tangent), but they were shaped by the clear memories and raw emotion of the day, whereas this one has no more live action to report, so becomes very reflective.  I have a million words in my head right now, but how many rational thoughts can I commit to print?  After two weeks of superlatives, similes and metaphors, what more is there to add?

In an earlier Blog post, I discussed the resonance of the date 27th July 2012.  Somewhere in my subconscious, I have also been aware of the resonance of 13th August 2012.  Surely a sad day.  It’s Over...

For some people, this has been a 16 day adventure (17, if counting Opening Ceremony day).  But, for me, it has been more than that.  An odyssey which, for me, began while listening to a transistor radio broadcast from Singapore in July 2005 culminated in Sunday night’s extinguishing of the flame.

I remember New Years Day this year – that was the day the TV commercials started portraying in unambiguous terms the impending arrival of The Games.  That was also the day that I decided to take a stand.  My Games would NOT consist solely of my LOCOG ballot ticket holding of a few prelim games in Men’s Handball and Women’s Hockey, plus one Football game.  A 7-year itch can’t be relieved with such a modest return.

My first entry to this blog was posted back on 23rd July, and I want to re-state some of my words from that post:

""The Greatest Show on Earth" - and I sincerely believe that the Olympic Games are worthy of such an accolade.  Other people may tell you that they would rather live in the host nation of the FIFA World Cup - but, for me, whilst I'm a huge football fan, I can see that the balance of power in that sport has transformed it into something of a "Millionaires' Playground" ...  I can empathise far more with the participants in the Olympics, with their dedicated work ethics and Corinthian ideologies - often when working from threadbare financial resources.

It isn't a cliché to say it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the people of London and the UK to experience the Olympics' perfect combination of sporting excellence and national pride."

It seems like a lifetime has passed since I typed those words.  In reality, it has been but three weeks.  When I typed them, I got the feeling that I held a minority view amongst the British public.  21 days down the line, I have read many other comments from friends, as well as famous people, which are very much in agreement with that initial post of mine.

I know now that 13th August 2012 is not a sad day at all... on the contrary, it is a happy day.  This is not the end... it is only the beginning.

The buzzword in the news today seems to be “Legacy”.  The headline of the Games is “Inspire a Generation”... this is not in reference to my generation... nor is it a reference to improving sports & social facilities for the alumni of Eton & Harrow... it is a call to action for investment in grass roots sport across this country.  Whichever collection of political suits is entrusted with running this fine country of ours at any given time needs to maintain a watchful eye over the grass roots investment.  For the future.  For sport.  For Britain.

I don’t read the newspapers, but I’m aware that these Games had their critics and sceptics before they had even started... supposed “experts” who projected failure.  All I can say is that it has given me great pleasure to see everything turn out perfectly.  From the atmosphere inside the venues, to the faultless timings of TfL’s Tube trains and South West Trains.  From the painless experience of security controls and the good-humoured on-site policing, to the unrivalled national fervour that has gripped the nation.

I have to give a special mention to the Games Makers.  This legion of aubergine-clad unpaid volunteers truly did make these Games what they were, with their infectious and welcoming personalities.  Also, the London public has truly embraced the joy and fervour of the Games.  People have been talking to one another on the Underground, for goodness sake!!

So, how much pride of place does London 2012 hold, within the veritable Pantheon of Olympic Games from years gone by?  I’m aware that our dearest adversaries in Australia are acknowledging this Games as better than Sydney.  This, by default, should also place it ahead of Atlanta and Athens.  Beijing was generally considered a flawless games, but then again London has been flawless too.  I’m sure, in the spirit of De Coubertain, we can call it an honourable draw between these last two Games.

This has also been a great Olympics for social media.  I remember on Opening Ceremony night that I got 70+ Facebook "likes" for the various posts and photos I made from inside the stadium, as one of the lucky 80,000 to be present that night... and that was only the first chapter of the story.  Also, I have been very humbled by the very positive feedback I've received on my Blog posts - thanks so much for those.  I'm a mere accountant - a number cruncher... not a words man...  I’m far from being a professional writer – indeed, no professional writer would ever write one-word sentences.  Never.

I may continue posting to this Blog in the next few weeks... or I may not.  The Paralympics start in 2 weeks time, and also represent a celebration of world-class sporting competition in London – although my bank manager may protest if I buy too many tickets to those events!

This is it.  I've had "A Day In The Life" 15 times over (one for each day of live sport).  I've had "Champagne Supernova" 8 times over (one for each Team GB Gold Medal which I witnessed live in person).  The record has finished playing, and the needle has returned to the side of the gramophone.

What more can I say?  This is what...

Victorious. Happy. Glorious. Inspired. Humbled. Proud to be British. Proud to be an Olympic Fan. Faster. Higher. Stronger. Thank you!!!

My Top 20 London Olympic Experiences – Part 2, Numbers 10-1

So, this is it... the second and final part of my list of top Olympic events which I personally attended.  The Top 10.  And it looks like this:

#10 – Greg Rutherford wins Long Jump Gold – not the only item from Super Saturday!  The tannoy announcer said at the start of the session that GB was looking for 2 Gold Medals – what a pessimist!  Greg’s winning 8.31m jump was displayed on the scoreboard at the exact second that Jessica Ennis’s name was announced to the crowd for her race.  It it fair to say that this drew a huge roar...

#9 – Victoria Pendleton wins the Women’s Keirin – how were the Games for Victoria? Emotional... as with so many things in her life.  This was her solitary Gold Medal of these Games, and concluded a perfect Friday afternoon Velodrome session for Team GB.  RIP Conrad.

#8 – Bradley Wiggins leading the Men’s Road Race peloton through Weybridge – this is the only one of the 20 items in my list which was chosen for vanity purposes.  I stayed at home and watched the cyclists ride past my very own apartment.  6 days on from his Tour de France win, Goldensideburns headed the peloton as they tried to close down an initial breakaway, early on on a day which ultimately proved fruitless for Team GB.  But, still, how often do you see a Tour de France winner ride past your own house?

#7 – David Rudisha’s 800m Gold Medal and World Record – in terms of pure attainment, this one should really be in the Top 2 or 3 in my list, except that patriotism has taken over with some of my other selections.  Rudisha sprinted the entire 800m, tearing the rest of the field to shreds, and giving the Olympic Stadium crowd its only individual “New WR” moment of the Games.  Stunning performance.

#6 – Helen Glover & Heather Stanning win Team GB’s first Gold Medal in the Women’s Coxless Pair – I remember sitting on the train that morning, looking at the big “0” in Team GB’s Gold Medal column, and posting to Facebook/Twitter that I was on my way to Eton Dorney to personally observe our first Gold.  Helen and Heather didn’t disappoint, winning comfortably, and providing the first of 29 opportunities for the crowd to add an a cappella “Na-Na Na-Na” into the National Anthem.

#5 – Jessica Ennis win Heptathlon Gold – I was only present for the 800m, and not the previous 6 events, otherwise this would likely have placed higher.  Jess has been the poster girl of the entire build-up to the Games (and rightly so).  Even though overall Heptathlon Gold was a formality at this point, she still found a final burst of energy in the home straight to win this race.  Also, I got to see her Medal Ceremony, which was not the case for the other two British winners that evening.  She cried.  We were proud.

#4 – Michael Phelps owns Ryan Lochte in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley – I was in the USA the week before the games, and everywhere I looked it was Lochte this and Lochte that (usually accompanied by a photo of him in his briefs).  Every logical indicator pointed towards him winning this contest – but there was one caveat... Michael Phelps at the Olympics does not follow logical indicators.  Phelps led from start to finish in front of the support of a raucous crowd, to confirm his legend as the Olympian with the most ever Gold medals.  This was my most expensive ticket of these games, but was worth every penny.

#3 – Sir Chris Hoy wins the Men’s Keirin – ah yes, the Keirin again... arguably the Olympics most eccentric event.  After a promising start from an elderly man on a motorised bike, Sir Chris (or “Chris” as the IOC called him) went into the lead.  Just imagine how our hearts sank as his German rival overtook him on the last corner......  but then imagine how spirits improved as Sir Chris re-took the lead in the run-up to the finish, to take a thrilling victory.  I remember the joy of the nation in 2000, when Sir Steve won his 5th Gold Medal, and it was a genuine privilege to see Sir Chris surpass him, for Number 6.

#2 – Usain Bolt wins 200m Gold – I really can’t believe I’ve just typed a “#2” beside the great man's name.  A legend.  An icon.  The embodiment of everything which these Games should represent.  Someone who transcends sport and the wider world.  Someone who doesn’t generally compete in this country due to our tax laws.  Someone whose like we may never see again.  A Colossus amongst athletes – standing at 6’5” verging on 10’ – in the first half of this race he was running faster than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life.  Roared home by a passionate crowd to a 5th Gold Medal of his career.  A moment that will be replayed on TV again... and again... and again... and I can say I was there...

#1 – Mo Farah wins 10,000m Gold for Team GB – Super Saturday is one of those moments that will stay in my mind forever.  If I reach a very old age, and get to the point where I can only remember 46 minutes of London 2012, then it will be the 46 minutes from that Saturday night, when I witnessed 3 Team GB Gold medals.  The Pièce de résistance being Mo Farah’s stunning final lap charge to win the 10,000m.  For London.  For Britain.  For the Mo-bot.  This was on a par with Geoff Hurst’s 3rd Goal, or Jonny Wilkinson’s Drop Goal, or Ian Botham’s six into the confectionary stall and out again.  This was the London Olympic Experience to surpass all others...

Olympics.  Bloody Hell...

My Top 20 London Olympic Experiences – Part 1, Numbers 20-11

Ok, here goes.  A list of the Top 20 sporting moments which I, myself, have witnessed in person at these Olympics.  Of course, events which I did not personally attend are excluded from the list – as is anything from the epic Opening Ceremony, as the list is purely for the sporting moments.

A few events which I saw didn’t even make my list – the Women’s 100m Final, 2 of the 3 World Records I saw in the pool, and, remarkably, the South Korea vs Gabon 0-0 draw, all failed to make the cut.  But here goes:

#20 – Women’s Handball Bronze Medal Game – a mesmerising game which was level at full time, and level after extra time, was finally won by Spain, against South Korea, after a double period of extra time.

#19 – Ruta Meilutyte winning 100m Breaststroke Gold – the 15 year-old stunned her more esteemed rivals to take one of the shock Gold Medals of the Games.

#18 – Cao Yuan & Zhang Yanquan winning the Men’s synchronised Highboard Diving – 6 flawless dives, from the Chinese teenagers.

#17 – Women’s Team Pursuit World Record for Team GB – I only saw the first qualifying round, but Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell & Dani King set the tone for the rest of the competition with this fine display, and World Record.

#16 – Men’s Table Tennis Bronze Medal game – a massively leftfield selection here.  It had been 12 years since there was a European medallist in this event, but Dimitrij Ovtcharov changed this with a thrilling win over Chuang Chih-yuan.  Every point saw a long rally.  Every set went to the wire.

#15 – Sally Pearson winning the Women’s 100m Hurdles – a classic sprint race, won by a very narrow margin, in an impressively quick time.

#14 – Rebecca Soni’s Gold Medal & World Record in the Women’s 200m Breaststroke – her second World Record of the Games, but the first World Record that I witnessed at any venue.  It certainly wasn’t my last...

#13 – Men’s Team Pursuit Final – a contest between the age-old rivals, Great Britain and Australia.  Brilliantly won by Team GB, in World Record time.

#12 – Women’s Handball Final – the entire Norwegian nation came to Stratford, where, after some nervous moments, they were rewarded with a Gold Medal on the final evening of action.

#11 – Laura Trott’s dramatic Omnium victory – it isn’t possible to dislike anything at all about Laura Trott.  She came back from 2 points behind in the last race of the Omnium to take a thrilling Gold.  Logic dictates that this should be very high on my list, but somehow, somehow, I found 10 more dramatic moments than this one...

To be continued......

May the Norse be with you

The closing Saturday evening of the Games was always destined to be a highlight for me.  I had bought tickets to the final night in the Athletics stadium, and would have had the opportunity to see Mo Farah and Usain Bolt exchange poses with one another.

However, despite my ticket-holding, my evening plans were always aimed towards the North end of the Olympic Park.  One of my very close friends is a Norwegian, and a long time ago, I promised her that I would attend the final of the Women’s Handball tournament with her – a game which would very likely include Norway, where Women’s Handball is perceived as the pre-eminent Olympic sport.  So, I stayed loyal to my friend, and gave someone else the chance to see Farah run 5,000m (note that I have already seen him win the 10,000m), and Bolt run 100m (I have already seen him win the 200m).

Where better to play the Handball Final that the...... ummm...... Basketball Arena.  I can only assume that Norway was empty last night, as the entire population seemed to be present at the venue.  After 14 days of attending partisan GB venues, here was a staunchly partisan Norwegian venue.

I’m no expert in Handball, so can’t comment on whether the performance I witnessed was good, bad or indifferent, but it was certainly entertaining.  Handball is a sport which has virtually no history in this country, but I think there is a great opportunity for the popularity of the sport in this country to grow exponentially over the coming years.  It has been one of the success stories of London2012.

To the game itself – it was a close finish, and I’m pleased to report that Norway were successful in the end, to win just their second Gold Medal of these Games.  My friend went home very satisfied!!

And, as I’ve done before, I’ll close a post with a National Anthem:

And now, the end is near...

Well, this is the moment when I’m supposed to be telling you about how I watched Aaron Cook win a fine Gold Medal for GB in the Taekwondo.  But, alas, the powers-that-be aren’t aligned with me, so it will need instead to be a post chronicling my thoughts, as the Games starts its penultimate day.  No camera-shaken photos, or distant videos this time...

For the past 15 days, I’ve felt like I’ve been spending my entire life inside a bubble... a Utopia of sporting excellence and patriotic fervour.  There are several things I have not done in these 15 days... I haven’t watched any non-Olympic TV or read much non-Olympic news... I haven’t been into my local town, or seen any of my neighbours (they are all asleep when I get home each night)... I haven’t done anything work-related......

On Monday, “normal life” resumes – whatever that constitutes.  It would be refreshing if “normality” was positively impacted by The Games – it has been noticeable in these past 2 weeks that strangers are talking to one another on The Tube – typically bound by a common “Team GB” logo on their respective T-shirts.  Pre-Olympics London was, on occasion, a grim place.  If the legacy leads to a longer-term improvement in public morale, this can only be a good thing.

At some point over the next couple of days, I’ll document here a countdown of my Top Olympic events which I’ve personally attended.  Initially I was thinking of writing a Top 5, which soon evolved into a Top 10, and has subsequently escalated into at least 20 or 30 moments which are worth charting here.

I was initially planning on attending the Modern Pentathlon tomorrow, but I’ve rethought that plan.  I already feel as though I’ve completed 15 Pentathlons of my own in the Olympics so far, and my reserves of physical energy will suffice for today, but not for tomorrow.

And so, today is my last trip to the Olympic Park – and I’m an honorary Norwegian for the day.  I have a very close friend who is a Norwegian, and a Handball fan, and we have talked for many months about how it would be great to watch together the Norway Women’s team winning an Olympic Gold Medal.  Well, they are in the final this evening, and so they face the final curtain......

Bolt From the Ru...

The Olympics is a great event.  17 days of sporting celebration, the like of which will never again be seen in my fine country.  However, YouTube clips don’t last for 17 days – there is always an iconic moment in each games, which is remembered for generations to come, and replayed over and over again.

I’ve been lucky so far.  I was there for the Opening Ceremony, for GB’s first Gold Medal, Ennis’s crowning glory, Farah’s final lap charge, Phelps beating Lochte, Hoy's sixth Gold – all of which will be remembered in many years from now.  But my extent of witnessing the one true global deity of Olympic sport had previously consisted of seeing him carry the Jamaican flag into the Opening Ceremony.

On Thursday night, this all changed.  Enter Usain St Leo Bolt.

A few people have asked me why I bought 200m Final tickets, when 100m Final tickets were achievable.  The answer is simply because I’ve seen 100m races before at Aviva British Grand Prix events, and they consist of a sudden burst of power... “blink and you’ll miss it”... none of them have left an indelible imprint on my memory.  And a certain Mr G*tlin was competing in the 100m, and I had no desire to watch him in action...

I like the 200m a lot.  I put my hand up.  I confess.  It holds more resonance for me than the 100m.  I like the mix of the power burst plus the strategy of conserving energy around the bend versus blasting away the opposition.

The 1996 Olympics in Atlanta were the only Games to take place in my college years (i.e. I watched pretty-much every second of them on the TV), and are generally considered in a negative light, both for their overall organisation, and for Great Britain’s sub-standard results.  One indelible imprint on my memory, however, is from those Games, when I stayed up until 4am one night to watch Michael Johnson run the 200m Final.  Johnson ran the race in 19.32 seconds that day, and, 16 years on, I still remember my “wow” reaction to seeing 19.32 appear on the scoreboard (or something of a slightly stronger Anglo Saxon connotation of “wow”, anyway).

And so, to last night.  Bolt is a tall man, 6’5” officially.  From my viewpoint in the 67th row of the far stand, he looked to be a 10-foot tall Colossus... rising head and shoulders above the other runners to charge around the opening bend, leaving the others in his wake, and striding like a true champion down the home straight, to Olympic glory.  And then I turned my eyes to the right to see the time.  19.32 again, 16 years on!  “wow” again! (Anglo Saxon variant again!)

A couple of pictures below.  My humblest of apologies for the first one where I got horrendous camera shake.  Although you can still recognise the pose of the great man.  The second picture is better, if less iconic, showing the Jamaican 1-2-3.

And, yes, I recorded the race, for posterity.  Here goes:

Now, the title of this article is the rather oblique “Bolt From the Ru”, which is in reference to David Rudisha’s stunning 800m Gold Medal and World Record.  I remember reading a BBC article about Rudisha a few days ago, where he was described as “The Greatest Athlete You’ve never heard of”.  Of course, I’ve heard of him... indeed I think I uploaded a video to my Twitter/Facebook of his last World Record a couple of years ago.  I was pleased to see him listed on the agenda for last night, but... oh my goodness... was I surprised by what he delivered!!

I know how Rudisha runs races - he sprints from the start, and never eases up - and I commented early on the second lap that “he’s gone”. Now, World Records don’t fall in Olympic Finals... the Finals are always “true run races” (to use the Brendan Foster-ism).  A World Record can only be set if a pacemaker is used to dictate every second of the speed.  Right?

Wrong.

Rudisha’s sub-101-second performance was iconic too.  I know that the Bolt final will get more airtime, and will be remembered by more people, but to sporting connoisseurs like me, the Rudisha run leaves just as strong an imprint.

Life's a Beach

On Wednesday night I got my first and only experience in this Games of the Beach Volleyball competition, as I went to see the Women’s Final.  Of course, I’m a big fan of the tactical aspect of Women’s Beach Volleyball, and went there to see those tactics played out.  My pre-tournament prediction was for a Saudi Arabia vs Yemen Women’s Final, and I was shocked to hear that neither of those two nations reached the final...  Apparently USA and Brazil had been performing better in this tournament, for some reason......

This was a very different experience from the other venues and events.  Whilst the Olympic Park events have tended to cater for the connoisseurs, and the De Coubertain ideals, Horse Guards Parade represented far more of a Beach Party atmosphere... and I enjoyed it a lot!!

 

Added to this, of course, the city centre venue made for some great location shots.  In the world of Mexican Waves, Dancing Girls, and Audience Participation, the Beach Volleyball competition is king!

What?  The players were wearing bikinis?!!  Really?!?!!

I’ve also now experienced the viewing platform of The ArcelorMittal Orbit, which forms the centrepiece of the Olympic Park.  Now, I’m a Sports Fan and not an Art Fan, so if you want to read a pretentious gushing piece about The Orbit, you had best look elsewhere (I’ll save my pretentious gushing words for Mr Bolt...)

Here, however, are a the pictures which I took from the Orbit viewing platform:

I want to ride my............

Yesterday was the first occasion in this Olympics when it occurred to me that we are entering the closing stretch of the Games.  Every day so far, I have lived for the moment of the day, with the overriding view that the event will still exist into the longer term.  As my ticket yesterday was for the last session of the Track Cycling, it made me think that we will soon be experiencing the last day of several other significant sports.

In the months when I was a ticket-hunter, yesterday’s session was always in the top 2 or 3 of my wanted list, for the entire Games.  There was a genuine chance of 3 GB Gold Medals in the session, which I wasn’t expecting to witness any other time (as it happened, I have already achieved that milestone in the Athletics stadium last Saturday)...

Why are Track Cycling tickets so sought-after?  Well, the Athletics Stadium has 80,000 seats and 15 sessions, meaning an availability of 1.2million seats during the Games.  The Velodrome has just 6,000 seats and 9 sessions, so there were just 54,000 opportunities to attend the Cycling.  I was very very pleased to get 4 of those 54,000 tickets in my name.

Yesterday’s session, as well as being the last to take place at that venue, was also a chance to see a true British Sporting great in Sir Chris Hoy (or... simply... “Chris Hoy”... as the IOC calls him)...  I remember a British TV programme from a few years ago, where people voted for the 100 Greatest moments in Sporting History.  Number 1, ahead even of England’s World Cup win, was Sir Steve Redgrave’s 5th Olympic Gold Medal, from Sydney. Yesterday, I had the honour of seeing Sir Chris surpass Sir Steve in a joust of the knights, and take his 6th Gold Medal.

Again, I will call out the influence of the crowd in making this an unforgettable occasion.  There was a moment on the last lap of Hoy’s race when he appeared to be in line for defeat.  Then, he found a final burst of pace, willed on by a passionate crowd, and reached the line first.

It was also a great day for the next generation of British Cycling, as Laura Trott took a thrilling Gold Medal in the last seconds of the Omnium event – again, willed on by a passionate home support.... and, on the topic of the support, everywhere I have gone in London for these past two weeks, everyone has been talking about the Olympics.  Passengers on packed trains are busy looking for the latest results in the newspapers or on their Smartphones.  Union flags are either worn on clothing or carried around.  This fine city truly is gripped with Olympic fever.

I have also been to see another new venue – the Riverbank Arena – which is used for the Field Hockey competition.  One of my earliest Olympic memories is from Seoul in 1988, when the Great Britain Men’s Hockey team won the Gold Medal, beating Germany in the final.  I still remember Barry Davies’s iconic commentary... “where WERE the Germans?...... but, frankly... who cares?”, and it was a pleasure for me to be attending a Hockey match here in London for which Davies, now aged 74, was providing the TV commentary, no more than 50 yards away from me.

I know that there are some American visitors to this Blog, so this photo is just for you......

The final game of the day saw Team GB take on the Netherlands.  GB’s captain, Kate Walsh, suffered a broken jaw last week, and has had a titanium plate fitted to it, however she still took up her place in the centre of the GB defence, and played the full game.  In contrast, most £100k per week Premiership footballers would take a month off with a broken fingernail...

Lastly, some sad news, as Olympic fan Conrad Readman sadly died at the Velodrome during last Friday’s finals.  Conrad had bought tickets for all 17 days of the Games, and was half way through his Olympic odyssey, when he suffered a fatal heart attack.  Rest In Peace, Conrad.

......Long to Reign Over Us, God Save the Queen

............ok, so at the end of the day’s action on Saturday 4th August 2012, I headed to the Athletics Stadium, for what proved to be an unforgettable evening for Team GB.

My expectation going into the evening was that a Gold Medal for Jessica Ennis was a formality – assuming she didn’t fall in the final event of the Heptathlon.  A further Gold Medal for Mo Farah would have put the icing on the cake... but would he be able to hold off the African runners?

The Long Jump competition also took place, but, despite the absence of Dwight Phillips through injury and Irving Saladino through failing to qualify, I only had a vague hope of maybe Bronze for one of the two British athletes in that event.

Timing is a very important thing in sport.  Greg Rutherford’s Gold Medal winning Long Jump was timed to such perfection, that the distance displayed on the screens AT THE VERY SAME SECOND as Jessica Ennis was announced to the crowd, for her race.  Two big cheers for the price of one...  Jessica’s Gold was expected.  Greg’s was a huge huge bonus, to the already-excited crowd.

Jessica's victory was very pleasing to witness - especially after her injury heartache at the last Olympics.  She has been one of the poster girls of this Olympics, and I really admire her warm personality (yes, yes, and her good looks, yes)......

And then we had the 10,000m.  The first 23 laps were, at times tense, as Mo let a breakaway group establish, only to calmly reel in that group, and he finally got to the head of the race as it moved into his territory – the final 2 laps.  Here is where the patriotism in the stadium reached a crescendo.  80,000 people screamed vociferously for Mo on those final two laps, as he held off the brave challenge of his American training partner, to achieve immortality, and a third Team GB Gold in barely 45 minutes.

Where does the evening rank on the list of all-time great moments in British sport?  Well, I’d put it ahead of the 2003 Rugby World Cup win – that was just England, rather than Britain, and was not in a sport that is popular in the whole world.  Presumably it ranks behind the 1966 Football World Cup Final, but that was again just England, and two generations have passed since that day.  Wherever the night ranks on the list, I will remember for the rest of my life that I WAS THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few videos:

Jessica’s last lap:

Jessica’s National Anthem:

Mo’s Last Lap (turn the volume up high on this one!!):

...I mean, of course the evening was nowhere near as exciting as the 0-0 draw between South Korea and Gabon from the other day......

Send her Victorious, Happy and Glorious......

Inhale.  Exhale.  Inhale.  Exhale.  Ok...

When I set up the concept of this Blog, I envisaged that, at some point, I’d add a patriotic post, promoting the efforts of Team GB.  That post would, typically, have arisen in the event that we had won, maybe, 2 Gold Medals in one session, or 3 Gold Medals in one day.

What I have witnessed over the past 3 days, both in person and on the TV, has dwarfed that initial expectation.  Dwarfed to the extent that I’ve got too much information to fit into one Blog post.  I’ll try to fit everything into two posts, although prepare for some Tolstoy-like reading.

So, Friday... I went to the Velodrome, which was the only Olympic Park venue I’d previously attended prior to The Games.  Consistent with my memories from my Test Event cisit, it is a closely packed venue, with all spectators positioned closer to the action, to generate a deafening noise.

For many years, Great Britain was not renowned as an elite Track Cycling country.  I remember the turning point in this history – the Barcelona Olympics of 1992 – when Chris Boardman rode his revolutionary Lotus bike to a Gold Medal in the individual pursuit.  In the ensuing two decades, the performance of GB in this sport has progressively improved, to the point of being universally recognised as the foremost country in the Track Cycling world.

The catalyst for the current domination is Dave Brailsford – the Performance Director of British Cycling.  In my opinion, Brailsford’s leadership is as strong as, if not better than, any coach in the history of British sport.  He is in the same class as leaders such as Alf Ramsay, Alex Ferguson and Clive Woodward.

My expectations upon arriving at the Velodrome on Friday were still, however, driven by caution.  There had been a GB disqualification the previous day for a technical infringement, and for all the ideals of practice, practice, practice, surely some element of sporting luck was needed to attain success.

The first event on track was the preliminary round of the Women’s Team Pursuit.  The purpose of this round was to reduce the 10 participating countries down to 8, in readiness for the following day’s action, so this was unlikely to be the most thrilling of events.  When Team GB took to the track, however, they delivered a spirited ride, to break the World Record for the event.

Here are the spectators, providing a Mexican Wave, in unison with the cyclists:

Next up was the first medal race of the day, the Men’s Team Pursuit.  Here is a video which I shot, of the closing stages of that race, as Team GB surged to a Gold Medal – the video is best viewed with the volume turned up to the maximum:

 

 

Lastly, it was the inaugural Olympic Women’s Keirin.  For all of Victoria Pendleton’s achievements in Sprint competitions, her Keirin record is comparatively modest – just the one World Championship Gold Medal, from 5 years ago.  I remember being present at this event at the same venue during the Olympic Test event, and Vicky finished outside of the places on that occasion.

Vicky is, quite rightly, a very popular athlete with the British public, and has battled many personal demons to get to where she is today.  The atmosphere for this event, therefore, unsurprisingly surpassed what was heard during the previous races.  Vicky took the lead with over a lap to go, and proceeded to ride around the final lap in first position, to a cacophony of noise from the fans.  As you will have seen from the front pages of the newspapers the following morning, Queen Vic completed a perfect session for GB...

Also a word for the performances of the GB Rowers at Eton Dorney on Saturday morning... I wasn’t present to see the two Gold Medals, but again, this was the perfect storm of technical ability plus an inspirational crowd.  The one blip in that session was Mark Hunter & Zac Purchase, being beaten into 2nd place, having led for most of their final.  Their BBC interview after that race was heartbreaking to watch.

There was an Athletics session contested yesterday as well, don't you know (to be continued)............

Duel in the Pool

When I was making my list of “wants” for Olympic tickets, one of the events close to the top of that list was the final of the Men’s 200m Individual Medley, in the Aquatic Centre, which pitted Olympic legend Michael Phelps against his long-time rival Ryan Lochte.

Coming into this Olympics, Phelps was already the holder of a scarcely-credible 14 Olympic Gold medals.  Lochte, on the other hand, was portrayed by many sections of the media as the “new kid on the block” (errantly, as it happens... Lochte is actually 11 months older than Phelps)...

I was working in the USA the week before the Games, and everywhere I looked, there were magazine covers/posters/advertisements, showing Lochte as their poster boy – typically clad in just his briefs... (he is no Jessica Ennis, I’ll say that much)......  On paper, Lochte HAD to win this race – he has had superiority over Phelps for some months, and comprehensively outwitted him in the 400m IM, earlier in the week.

I’m pleased to report that this race was not contested on paper, but was contested in water...

From the first buzzer, Phelps stormed into the lead, roared on by a raucous, partisan crowd.  A crowd who, realistically, had believed that they would never again see the most successful ever Olympian win an individual Gold, were treated to a majestic masterclass of medley, by the magnificent maestro Michael !!

It was a genuine privilege for me, to be present when Phelps won that Gold medal. Furthermore, 24 hours later, I was at the Aquatic Centre again, as he won the 100m butterfly.  He is retiring from the sport after this evening’s medley relay, and will be talked about by future generations a true all-time sporting great.

Minority Report

Here in the UK, the most frequently televised sports are generally Football, Cricket, Rugby and F1 - all steeped in tradition, and also rife with money.  During the Olympics, the TV coverage tends to veer towards a few mainstream sports – typically Athletics, Swimming and Cycling – and my other blog posts will cover my experiences at those events.  Over the past few days however, I have been to see some sports which, whilst popular in other countries, are still considered minority sports in the country.

Firstly, Handball, which is fast developing a reputation as one of the success stories of the Games.  I had never seen a Handball game, before this week, and did not know the rules.  It is played (until the middle of next week) in the Copper Box, which is a colourful amphitheatre, in the heart of the Olympic Park.  I bought these tickets on the recomendation of a very close friend from Scandinavia, who considers Handball as her number 1 favourite sport.

My experience at Handball was a very positive one – I found it to be a fast-moving sport, with straightforward rules, and which has the potential to appeal to the masses.  Of course, the newly created Team GB was far inferior to the other participants, but I think that the potential exists for a sustainable programme of coaching in that sport, for this country.

The spectator experience for Handball was amongst the best I’ve witnessed all week.  Fans of the various competing countries were present, in their national colours, with their flags.  Also, despite the inevitable defeat, Team GB was supported by a legion of passionate sports fans.  I’m sure that if tiddlywinks were to become a London2012 Olympic sport, this same crowd would still support it with the same level of fervour.

I also attended the semi-finals and final of the Men’s Table Tennis tournament.  In China, this sport is huge, and, predictably, the final pitted two Chinese players against one another.  Again, this was a very popular event with the fans.

It is important to understand and acknowledge that, for us fans, a trip to a session such as this one is a relaxing day out and a bit of fun.  For the competitors, however, it represents the culmination of several years of training – often in very unglamorous locations – and essentially represents one of the most important days in the lives of these guys.  To win an Olympic Gold medal represents the pinnacle of a career, and the realisation of a dream.

I leave you for today with a video I shot of Zhang Jike, the Table Tennis Gold medallist, as he realised his lifelong dream before our very eyes – winning the final point, then hurdling the perimeter of the playing area, and bowing down to kiss the Gold Medal step of the winners rostrum.  To me, this conveys far more feeling than anything an overpaid footballer could ever display...