Olympic spirit shines at 2012 Games

The curtain came down on the most successful Olympic Games ever held at the home of modern sport in spectacular fashion as one billion people worldwide watched a closing ceremony that showcased the ‘Best of British’.

Away from the glitz and glamour, the success of the London 2012 Olympic Games was encapsulated by Usain Bolt as he crossed the finishing line performing the ‘Mobot’, in tribute to the earlier success of the man being now dubbed as Britain’s greatest ever athlete.

The long distance double of the 5,000m and 10,000m provided Lord Coe with the ‘perfect ending’ he desired, while Bolt’s borrowed pose demonstrated that the organisers had fulfilled their promise of an athlete-friendly Games.

However, despite the high profile nature of both these athletes, the performance of the Games, according to Lord Coe, was that of the young Kenyan, David Rudisha, in the men’s 800m final. Setting off from the starting gun he shattered the world record but also dragged the remaining competitors through to personal best performances, making it one of the tightest races ever seen.

Even if Team GB hadn’t done so well, the quality of the big sporting moments might have made up for it – Bolt’s double treble, Rudisha’s world record run in the 800m, the Jamaican men and American women’s sprint relay performances, Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian in history and watching the US basketball’s dream team in action at the North Greenwich Arena. In all, 44 world records have been set along with 117 Olympic records – backing up Coe’s claims to provide a Games that would allow the athletes to compete at their best.

But some of the most memorable moments came not in sporting triumph but in the taking part. Double amputee Oscar Pistorius broke new ground just by competing in the Games – the first paralympian to do so on the track – and every one of the 204 countries sent a delegation which included female athletes.

There has been just one positive test for a banned substance since the Games started and, although a big doping scandal can’t be ruled out until all the samples are tested, it does seem that drugs will not overshadow these fantastic Games.

The disqualification of eight badminton players for trying to fix the result of their matches provided a jolting reminder of sport’s less attractive side but despite all the threats from IOC (International Olympic Committee) president Jacques Rogge and other administrators there has been no evidence of corruption or match-fixing involving any athletes.

Many of the Olympians spoke of the benefits of having the accommodation on site while enjoying having the majority of the 303 events within a centralised location. The equestrian teams, in particular, were grateful for the stunning London location (not to mention innovative and spectacular jumps) having had a 4.5 hour flight to Hong Kong at the Beijing Games in 2008.

The only sports slightly distanced were football (for some matches) and the sailors, although the latter enjoyed performing in front of a crowd for the first time.

The participants were also particularly thrilled with the support. Even the ‘lower interest’ sports had stadia packed to the rafters with athletes of visiting nations praising the way they were supported as if they were at home.

In addition to being described as ‘knowledgeable’, they were also loud, being recorded in the velodrome at 120 decibels.

Highs:

*Forty-four world records and 117 Olympic records was broken!

*Attitudes of the athletes – best examples have been those narrowly missing out on expected medals or consoling those who have had to withdraw injured. There’s a tremendous irony that the Olympics finish on the same day that marks the traditional curtain raiser to the Premier League – let’s hope the attitude of the Olympians rubs off on the footballers.

*Ye Shiwen, the 16-year-old Chinese swimmer, who began swimming after her kindergarten teacher noticed she had large hands, became the first woman in history to swim the last lap faster than the male Olympic champion over the same distance. It’s a shame the American coach decided to question whether this was drug-enhanced.

*Zara Philips being awarded her silver medal by her mum!

*Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history. He is the only person to have won eight gold medals at the same Games – at Beijing in 2008. Six people have taken seven. Sir Chris Hoy also became the most decorated British Olympian while Ben Ainslie’s gold made him the most successful sailor in history.

*Dutch judoka bronze medallist, Edith Bosch, hit a spectator who tried to disrupt the men’s 100m final by throwing a bottle onto the track before the race. Bosch claimed to have been incensed that the drunken spectator had dishonoured the Olympic spirit.

*All of the 10,490 athletes have performed under varying degrees of pressure. However, did any have to contend with as much as Russian judoka Tagir Khaibulaev? Competing as the favourite for heavyweight gold he was being closely watched by a training partner – not unusual until you consider he is also the Russian President, Vladimir Putin! 

*Oscar Pistorius swapping name badges with Kirani James of Grenada who, immediately after winning the race, marched straight to Pistorius to exchange name badge and leave no uncertainty that the athletes welcome the presence of the blade runner.

*Canadian equestrian Ian Millar rode into Olympic history on Saturday by competing in his 10th Games - the most by any athlete. The 65-year-old Millar, astride Star Power, was riding in the show jumping qualifying round for individual medals.

Close calls:

*The Italians took gold in the men’s archery when Michele Frangilli hit the bulls eye with his final arrow to pip the US by one point. The 17-stone 36-year-old allowed the 2-minute clock to count down to the final seconds before unleashing his golden arrow!

*After nearly two hours of racing the women’s triathlon came down to a photo finish. Nicola Spirig and Lisa Norden were given the same time of 1hr 59mins 48secs with Spirig being awarded gold based on TV evidence.

*In gymnastics, with scores allocated by judges to 1,000th of a point, Britain’s Louis Smith and Hungary’s Krisztian Berki were given exactly the same score of 16.066 on the pommel horse, meaning that the gold was won based on Berki’s superior execution.

Lows:

*The death of cyclist Dan Harris 28, when hit by an Olympic bus leading to calls for compulsory helmets, lights and reflective gear for all. The driver, aged 65, was arrested under suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

*Paula Radcliffe unable to compete due to a long-term foot injury

*Team USA’s ‘cash for dash’ campaign, led by Sanya Richards-Ross, aiming to get athletes paid for competing at the Olympics. Many athletes have rejected careers in professional sports simply for the honour of competing for gold. Currently the IOC (Rule 40) limits the products athletes can endorse, primarily, I suspect, to protect their global sponsorship deals.

*Unfortunately, this was not the first Games to have men and women representing all 204 countries. Despite the higher profile nations such as Saudi, Kuwait and Brunei all sending female athletes for the first time, the nations of Barbados, Nauru and St Kitts & Nevis failed to do so.

Injuries:

*Kate Walsh, captain of the GB hockey team, was struck in the face in the first half of their opening fixture, breaking her jaw in the process. She required a metal plate to be inserted before returning to play in the later stages of the competition, ultimately leading her team to a bronze medal.

*The BMX produced thrills and spills including on one day, 10 crashes in 20 races. One of these included a pile-up on the first bend that accounted for all but one of the eight riders, making it an easy victory for the sole survivor. Craine Brooke, of the US, seemed to start the ball rolling with a spectacular face-plant and will have kept many of the 19 medics on site busy!

London quirks:

*One of the quirkiest examples of how well the athletes have integrated with the passionate fans has to emanate from the Venezuelan Ruben Limardo. Having been recently crowned as the Olympic fencing champion he was so proud that he took his gold medal on to the tube, proudly posing for photos with others taking the Jubilee line!

*Boris Johnson got stuck on a zip-wire high over Victoria Park for five minutes – he spent the time waving the Union Flag and calling the fans below, encouraging them to shout their support for Team GB!  Apparently it was not a technical fault – the designers of the high wire claim that someone had ‘under-estimated’ Johnson’s weight!

*Hungarian judoka Eva Csernoviczki collapsed unconscious as a result of a stranglehold from Belgian Charline van Snick in the u-48kg category.

*Brazilian judoka bronze medallist Felipe Kitadai accidentally dropped his medal in the shower, chipping it. The IOC has agreed to replace it, although I’m personally not sure whether this is due to his chosen sport!

*Milton Keynes has decided to build a new roundabout the diameter of long jump winner, Greg Rutherford’s, winning jump – 8.31m.

Bad Luck:

*Spain’s Luis Leon Sanchez who was in contention for a podium placing in the men’s cycling time trials, broke his bike chain on the ramp as he set off. Having had his bike replaced he then suffered a puncture 20 minutes later.

*Victoria Pendleton was disqualified twice, despite having previously never had her results voided, costing her the chance of two further gold medals. She then tweeted throughout the Games about various further mishaps, complaining of her ‘bad karma’.

*New Zealand’s hopes of qualifying for the final of the women’s quadruple sculls at Eton Dorney were dashed when an oar broke with about 400m remaining in the repechage race. The Kiwis were third at the time – with four boats going through – when Fiona Bourke was left stranded on Dorney Lake. They finished last, 30 seconds behind winner Australia.

True Grit:

*British weightlifter Peter Kirkbride continuing to compete despite tearing his bicep with his second lift. The Scot went on to lift a personal best in the clean and jerk.

*Manteo Mitchell, in running the 4x400m relay, actually broke his leg early in his ‘leg’ of the race. However, despite feeling ‘indescribable pain’, he continued, completing his section in 46 seconds, only two seconds short of his target. Unfortunately, in the final, his US team-mates had to settle for silver, relinquishing the Olympic title they had held since 1972.

*The ‘Eddie the Eagle’ Award – for the least competitive athlete – goes to Hamadou the Hippo, the rower from Niger. However, there are mitigating circumstances! With echos of the popular bobsleigh film, Cool Runnings, Hamadou Djibo Issaka, a swimmer, was only asked to compete three months before the Olympics when Niger received a wild card. Niger is landlocked, 80 per cent desert and does not even possess a single sculling boat. Yet despite finishing 33rd out of 33 competitors in an additional race to decide all placings, he is committed to continue rowing. Indeed – to demonstrate why such wild cards are given – back home his participation has prompted the formation of Niger’s first rowing club!