In the build up to the London 2012
Olympic Games, the Guardian put together a superb series of articles
entitled '50 Stunning Olympic Moments' which took in well known and
lesser known achievements from the Summer Games over the last 29
Olympiads.
The past 16 days have seen plenty of
new stunning moments that can be added to that particular list as
London welcomed the biggest party in the world to their doorstep.
Every single medal awarded at these
Games (every single competitor in the Games come to that) has had a
story behind it that was told brilliantly by the UK media and their
colleagues from across the globe.
In no particular order, here are some
of my personal stand out moments from the Games.
The way in which Jessica Ennis won her
heptathlon gold medal. The personal bests she set and the way in
which she pushed past the rest of the field at the end of the 800
metres as if to say “Here I am, out of my way, I am Jessica Ennis,
this is my gold medal, this is my time, this is my moment. Get out of
my way.” To see a Britain that was favourite for a gold medal in
track and field so ruthlessly and confidently see off her challengers
was an inspiring change.
Sir Chris Hoy sealing his place in
Olympic history by notching his fifth and sixth gold medals in the
Velodrome. There is no such thing as a banker in sport, but Hoy is as
close as you can get. Widely reported as one of the most honest and
humblest sportsmen you can get, all but the most granite-hearted of
souls could not be moved by his tears at both of his award
presentation ceremonies.
Sticking with cycling, the achievements
of Laura Trott; born prematurely with a collapsed lung and spending
the first weeks of her life in intensive care. Fast forward 20 years
or so and the petite Essex girl left all in her wake in the omnium and was a key component of the all-conquering, record breaking
women's team pursuit team. If Hoy has set the bar for cycling at the
Olympics, Trott could be the to set it higher in years to come.
More cycling, Bradley Wiggins
redefining what a sportsman can be to a nation bored to death with
grey, neutral presences. Wiggins is cool, unique, witty, eloquent,
humble, modest and a man with the common touch. Added to that, he is
the best road cyclist this country has produced and, despite the
incredible competition, must be favourite to win Sports Personality
of the Year come December, largely because of the second word in the
title of that gong.
To the judo arena and possibly the
moment that brought more tears and lumps in the throat to a nation in
the whole Games. Gemma Gibbons lost her mother, the woman who
introduced her to the sport, to cancer eight years ago. After making
her way past all comers to the semi final, she won that round too and
mouthed the simple words “I love you Mum” to the heavens.
Touchingly beautiful.
More heartstrings touched over at the
aquatics centre where Tom Daley secured a bronze medal in the 10m
platform diving. Daley's trials are well documented and need no
repeating but for a young man with the weight of the world on his
shoulders to emerge with a medal is a tribute to his country, himself
and his father who will be looking down proudly upon him.
More gold medals but this time over at
Eton Dorney where so much heartache was erased when Katherine
Grainger crossed the line with Anna Watkins to secure her first gold
medal at the Olympics in her fourth attempt at trying and instantly
putting aside the heartache of so silver medals at the last three
Games.
And how have I gotten this far without
mentioning the undoubted British star of these Games, Mohamed Farah.
His broad, large toothed-smile, his slight Cockney accent, his
self-deprecation, his silent determination and wit; a; true British
traits. But this from a man born in Somalia who came to Britain aged
eight years. His is a story of a modern British hero; multi-cultural,
world-aware but still tied to home. The sight of his daughter
skipping along the track to give her Dad a kiss as her heavily
pregnant Mum aimed to keep up at the end of the 10,000metres was
touching, only to be equalled by his madcap 'head-slapping'
celebration to win the 5,000metres. A true hero.
Back to the Velodrome and a contest a
decade in the making between arch-rivals Victoria Pendleton and Anna
Meares ended in controversy, tears but sportsmanship as Pendleton
congratulated her rival on the lap after the end of the race. A fine
career ended in style if not the result dearly wanted but the message
given to her fiancee at the end of the keirin provided an image of
the Games.
Down to Weymouth and the king of the
seas, Ben Ainslie. Beaten, bruised and battered after six rounds of
the contest, he looked down and out but he was made angry and the
rest is history. Four gold medals and a silver in five Olympics in
the sailing for Ainslie; one of the best British Olympians ever
secures his place in the pantheon.
What about in the boxing ring where
Britain had it's best performance in more than 50 years and the
record books were written with Nicola Adams taking home a gold medal.
The part-time extra in various TV soap operas who couldn't find
sponsorship to fund her dream for love nor money will probably have
no hassle in finding some willing backers now.
So far, this is something of a
Britsh-tinted affair (understandably so, I hope you feel too dear
readers) but have some foreign flavour. 15 year-olds dominating in
the pool, Usain Bolt securing his place in the annals of history in his own unmistakable way,
Michael Phelps joining him, Meares fulfilling her destiny, Kirani James, Feliz Sanchez, Sandra Richards-Ross, Ryan Lochtee, Charles De Cos (and his Dad), Brazil
walking away with silver in the football, David Rudisha blowing away
the field in the 800 metres, the outrageous nature of the USA's
victory in the 4x400m women's relay and so many more.
Well over a thousand words and no
mention of the likes of Ed Clancy, Jason Kenny and all of the
all-conquering cycling team, Robbie Grabarz, Nick Dempsey, the
dressage team, so many rowers, Alastair and Johnathan Brownlee, Alan
Campbell, Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter, the kings of the canoes both
sprinting and slalom, the hockey teams, more sailors, Peter Wilson,
Jade Jones and so so many more.
All of these moments and more made this
a Games to remember that, I am probably not alone in saying, wish
could go on forever and ever.
Alas, they cannot, but memories last
forever and one imagines that the BBC Sport archive of the London
2012 Games will get an awful lot of mileage in them over the next
weeks, months and years to recreate the fortnight-long period when
Team GB delivered but not only that, Britain did too.
What is your stand-out Olympic moment?
Drop your thoughts below the line.
