London Olympic 2012 End of a supreme carnival At the end of a long, raucous night, it was inevitably the words of Lord Sebastian Coe that best summed up the last sixteen days of whirlwind madness in London. “When our time came, we did it right,” said Coe in his short and sweet speech towards ... Read more
olympic 2012
Blake to carry Bolt legacy
In the run-up to the London Olympics Glen Mills faced one sweet problem on whether to pursue Usain Bolt for further glory or prepare Yohan Blake to break the final barrier. Now the Games is over and Mills, the coach of Racers Track Club in Jamaica, where both Bolt and Blake train, can happily look ... Read more
Jamaica’s win cements Bolt’s Games
If Beijing belonged to Michael Phelps, London belongs to Usain Bolt. The fastest man on earth completed a unique, unprecedented triple double after running anchor as Jamaica crushed the world record to win the men’s 4X100 metres relay at the Olympic Stadium in London on
2012 ‘off-the-chain’
London Olympics 2012 2012 ‘off-the-chain’ If there ever was a one-word summary to describe the 30th Olympiad in London, the USA athlete DeeDee Trotter found it during one of many press conferences at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday. “Off-the-chain,” said Trotter and the whole room burst out laughing. “And that is putting it mildly,” she ... Read more
A question and grim reality
The American journalist was clearly irritated by the presence of so many Bangladeshi newsmen at the press conference after almost every athletics event at London. He had no clue as to why a country would be so highly represented despite them having no stake in any of the events. Spurred on by the question from ... Read more
Gold eludes Brazil again
London Olympics 2012 Gold eludes Brazil again Romario couldn’t do it, Bebeto couldn’t do it, Rivaldo couldn’t do it, Ronaldinho couldn’t do it. Neither could Brazil’s latest poster boy Neymar. The weight of history proved far too much for Mano Menezes’s young Selecao and their dreams of Olympic gold crumpled to dust on the picture-perfect ... Read more
Curtain drops on Olympics tonight
After two weeks of frantic excitement, on and off the field dramas, a loud cheer from the fans and birth of many new champions, the London Olympics comes to an end tonight with a dazzling closing ceremony. The cauldron of the Games will be formally extinguished sometime in zero hour in London to signal the ... Read more
‘Nice girl’ Felix third time lucky
She was accused of being too relaxed in Beijing. Coming as overwhelming favourite, with two world championship titles to her name, Allyson Felix had expected it to be an easy walk in the park. One of her key aim was to be a role model and for that she had some other commitments too. She ... Read more
The Dream Team rumbles on
Even from a distance, the white headband was unmistakable. And you could hardly miss the roar from the crowd as soon as LeBron James touched the ball at the signature North Greenwich Arena in London on Wednesday night. The American was sensational as well in their quarterfinal against the Australians — a match that served ... Read more
The beach is where it’s at
Wolf-whistles ring out after every set, the beers are flowing, the clothes in the stand are posh, even when disguised as they are in the pink parkas to protect against the drizzle. Out in the middle, clothes are lacking. Four women clad skimpily in bikinis stand on each side of a net fighting in the ... Read more
Brownlees light up London
Overhead, there was the distant whirl of the helicopter blades. Down below though, swans still swam elegantly and peacefully on the brimming Serpentine. A cool breeze rustled through the leaves of the lush green surroundings of Hyde Park. The only thing breaking the serene monotony was the noise. On Tuesday, one of London’s most famous ... Read more
Serena gives London a show symbol
Of all colors the one Serena Williams said she likes most is golden. Until this week her choice had no meaning to Serena, but now she is well aware of what it is in a career of a successful athlete. Serena had confessed on a few occasions that she came to London to have some ... Read more
Bolt ready for another blitz
Usain Bolt’s self-styled journey towards becoming an athletic legend is set to be completed today when his most preferred event – men’s 200-metre sprint – will be held at London Olympic Stadium. With the pressure to defend his crown as the planet’s fastest man is now off, Bolt returned to his usual self and sent ... Read more
Mexico-Brazil final a pointer to the future?
Deep inside the Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, following Mexico’s comprehensive victory over Japan in the Olympic semifinals, a group of journalists were working while the TV beamed images from Old Trafford. Brazil had looked streaky at the start, as they cleared two South Korean attacks off the line but just as they scored their second ... Read more
London Diary
London 2012 are investigating how a bucket of unofficial condoms found its way into the athletes’ village without official consent. The Australian BMX cyclist Caroline Buchanan tweeted a photograph of the bucket, which featured a sign reading “Kangaroos condoms, for the gland downunder”, and a picture
A gold for grandma
On the podium Felix Sanchez cried and cried. As the national anthem of his beloved Dominican Republic rung out across the stadium speakers, Sanchez wept uncontrollably. Despite his gold medal, they hardly looked like tears of joy to anyone watching. It could yet become one of the most enduring images of London 2012. Sanchez had ... Read more
A Grenadian’s tale
One of the more poignant moments of Sunday’s electric track-and-field lineup in the Olympic Stadium came in the semifinals of the 400 meters. Oscar Pistorius, who had managed to reach his goal and qualify for the semi-final, finished last. There were cheers for Pistorius though, from around the stadium. But more importantly, the young sprinter ... Read more
‘I won a bronze, not lost a gold’
Yelena Isinbayeva clearly remembers the moment she began to ask herself the most basic and existential question of them all. It was at a dinner following a Diamond League meet in Monaco and Isinbayeva was approached by an IAAF statistician who indulged her in
Brilliant Bolt sprints to glory
Usain Bolt, the fastest man ever, proved he is still as good as gold, coasting to victory in what was most eagerly-anticipated and keenly- contested 100-metre sprint final of all time. The Jamaican set a new Olympic record of 9.63 seconds to become only the second man in history to successfully defend his 100-metre title ... Read more
Bolt dispel doubts in breathtaking display
It had everything in the race – the grace, the grit – but the one that led Usain Bolt to sprint glory on Sunday was his desire, the strong will power to prove doubters wrong. A sore hamstring, a stiff back, a car crash, defeats to training partner Yohan Blake had raised thousand questions about ... Read more