The opening ceremony was typically British and a celebration of British history, proving to be quite spectacular...now we have a few days left to contemplate what awaits us in the closing ceremony... NOPE, too busy keeping up with the action!
In addition to superb athletics, much of the magic has been conjured up by the crowd and the way in which all the athletes have been supported across the board. The multi-ethnic London crowd has displayed true Olympic generosity of spirit contributing to the overall success and enjoyment of all, making this an outstanding Olympic games so far with the Paralympics still to come.
There are so many ‘behind the scenes’ elements in play relating to the athletes journey's, giving us exciting and painful personal stories... all brought to that initial table of hope when the games opened and each athlete had their dream intact. As the games unfolded all has been revealed awash with tears of joy and sometimes frustration.
Team UK has surpassed all expectations and won medals across the board, with Chris Hoy achieving the 6th Olympic gold medal of his cycling career... outstanding. Yesterday we watched Charlotte Dujardin winning gold in dressage at her first Olympics, incredible as Charlotte has only recently started to compete at world class level. This morning another young competitor, Jade Jones from Wales, won a gold medal in Taekwondo, another great achievement.
The fact that the UK are in 3rd position in the medal table is phenomenal given the size of the country compared to the USA & China... how did we do it... clearly through talented athletes with dedication and excellent mental attitudes backed up by a home games with major British support & funding from the National lottery.
Last night the men’s 200 meters proved to be a phenomenal event living up to its promise as living legend Usain Bolt fulfilled his prediction and won his second gold medal this Olympics- in classic Bolt style. What an occasion, a triple and well deserved win for the Jamaican’s making Bolt, Blake and Weir inspirations for the nation of youngsters- in line with the 2012 Olympic theme.
There have been spectacular wins throughout the past 2 weeks in different sports and many well deserved personal achievements which have led to a total of 70 nations to date acquiring at least 1 medal to celebrate.
It has been very interesting listening to the athletes speaking about their careers and to hear some of the commentaries and presenter’s opinions... just love hearing Michael Johnson speak- such ‘on the ball views’- have to mention yesterday’s nature/nurture discussion of what makes an outstanding sprinter; fascinating. There was even mention of creating a sprinting gene... hmmmm... but as Colin Jackson said, the gene is only a small part of it, you have many other factors that come into play. The main message repeated by numerous athletes is that they have to be totally dedicated to their sport at a cost to friends and family. Getting up every day regardless of the weather and your mental/physical state to undertake essential training day in and day out is the only way to reach your peak performance. Of course the hard work and training in sport is carried out behind the scenes so we only ever see the end result... the excitement of races and competitions... the tears and the glory.
RIGHT: Chris Hoy
These have been dubbed the ‘social media games’ and Twitter, Facebook etc have really enabled the athletes to connect with their fans. Social Media has given people an almost direct link to their hero’s that was previously unavailable and reaches worldwide. Planning is already underway to keep the impetus of the games rolling long after they have finished. Let’s hope that the Olympic vibe is so strong today’s children can hold onto it and become the athletes of tomorrow!
Jaz McKenzie
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