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...
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