At 8:12 am on Friday morning, all the bells in England rang. Martin Creed’s signature “Work Number 1197” rang in the 30th Olympiad to the only city that has so far played host to it thrice. In the evening, another bell rang. This, the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world, part of Danny Boyle’s three-hour three-act magnum opus of an opening ceremony kicked off the London 2012 games in style.
The excitement rose as the torch relay entered its final leg and there remained momentous speculation about who will light the torch;
Olympic legend Steven Redgrave is the favorite but another man has emerged despite not winning a Olympic medal in his active lifetime.
Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes, emerged as another favorite after William Hill stopped taking bets on the 83-year-old lighting the Olympic cauldron, after the betting company received a flurry of big bets.
On London’s biggest sporting day for quite some time, the weather returned to something that can be defined as profoundly British. The cool air, stiff breeze and the rains came following the uncharacteristically bright sunshine that had dominated the last few days.
On the streets volunteers dressed in the bright pink jackets or purple shirts of the Olympics seem present in every corner. The British are generally toned down but even through their stiff upper-lip demeanor you can see that the excitement is palpable, if not yet overflowing. Olympic lanes are clearly marked out and tailbacks are commonplace on London’s narrow roads.
But roadside bars are ready for a big night out, with big screens and special menus. London’s famous parks too are full to the brim, with Victoria and Hyde Park both hosting live events on giant screens and accompanying them with interesting tidbits like zip-lines or ‘have-a-go’ events. The events have proved incredibly popular, especially for those not lucky enough to bag a ticket to London’s big night.
Celebrities too are set to come out in force, with Mohammad Ali expected to play a role in the ceremony alongside David Beckham. Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are also in London.
But ultimately it will be the sporting superstars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Roger Federer who will dazzle, while an army of unsung competitors are also aiming for gold.
Phelps, whose eight golds in Beijing took his overall medal tally to 16, needs three more to surpass the all-time record of 18.
His seven-event programme gives him plenty of scope to make more Games history and anchor a US team determined to continue its dominance against Australia and a Chinese squad spearheaded by 1500m free world record-holder Sun Yang.
One of his biggest challengers is teammate Ryan Lochte, who has emerged as a serious threat in the 200m medley and 400m medley.
Australia is bringing in the big artillery with James “The Missile” Magnussen and James “The Rocket” Roberts, in the prestigious 100m freestyle.
The US have a “Missile” of their own, however, in 17-year-old Missy Franklin, who is set to become the first US woman to swim seven events at one Games.
South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius, known as ‘Blade Runner’ for his carbon fibre prosthetic running blades, will make history as the first double amputee to compete at an Olympics.
Bradley Wiggins, fresh from his historic Tour de France triumph, and a powerful British team will fire up the home crowd in the cycling.
Federer, having won a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title, returns to the All England Club looking to add singles gold to the doubles he won with Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka four years ago.
And the United States are clear favourites in the men’s basketball with a Dream Team boasting LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
A budget of £9.3 billion ($14.5 billion, 12 billion euros) has been spent on bringing the Games to London for an unprecedented third time, but the first time since 1948.
It has been seven years in coming, and tonight London is facing its acid test.
-With The Daily Star input
