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Update (from Santiago, Chile!)19th August: well, we're still there and added 4 more golds; I had mentioned a couple more possibles (always hoping for more!). Just look at the cycling medals tables HERE. Top in the outdoor but blitzed all comers in the track events (our medal tally equals the following SEVEN countries) We are also top in both the sailing and rowing medals tables.
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Well, she did it, winning gold after beating fellow Brit Wendy Houvenaghel in the women's 3000m individual pursuit final earlier today. It was one of many highlights this weekend seeing Team GB in 3rd spot on the medal table (yes...THIRD, 3rd...number 3...one , two, THREE!)
Trouble is this very nice medal table [deleted] will keep updating but we were up there...honest!
With a couple more gold medal hopefuls we may hang on for a bit longer but I'm not kidding myself that we'll stay third. However...what an achievemnet from our cyclists, rowers, sailors and canoeists, plus the swimmers (never thought I'd say that!) team GB swimmers finished 4th overall and the highest of all the European nations. The wonderful Rebecca Adlington two golds and a world record...when could we dream of saying that about a GB swimmer? There is a new attitude amongst team GB...before it was try your best, beat your own record etc...now getting medals it at the forefront of their minds; in all the interviews I've heard there is attitude, new drive: personal bests, British records and European records are all important but at these Olympics they are almost not enough...only medals count and at last our athletes are showing the sense of purpose, almost aggression, in focusing on that medal goal. Focus - and lottery money - help in a massive way and no doubt for London 2012 Team GB will be hoping to improve more; that said so far it's all been great to watch. Apart from our golden weekend the highlights must be Michael the fish Phelps and lightning Bolt in the men's 100m - unbelievable.
4 comments:
You're dead right about the change in attitude - mind you having spent £1,000,000 on a weather tracking facility in Macau I think things should have improved! The pre games target was 32-37 medals and we are on course for that as I write.
We actually had a finalist in the Women's 100 metres and she came sixth which is brilliant and I think we will get a medal in the Men's 1500 metres as well.
Yes, great performance...but JAM JAM JAM all the way.
I would like to see our track and field gain some of the success of other years/decades (Coe, Ovett Cram...) I wonder if we'll ever see 3 GB athletes together on the podium again (on differnet steps that is!)
I quite like the noises Boris is making. What say you?
I'm in between trips Gavin (Chile then Iran)...what did he say; do you mean the bit about 2012 will be as good as Beijing nad under budget?...if you do then I disagree - on both counts! Under budget presumes he knows which budget...the 3 billion one or the 7..8...9..probably 12 billion one? as good as is relative: it will NOT be as good as in many ways but it could be interesting and original in its own right:
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