2012 Predictions: How did I do then?

It is time to reflect back on those predictions I made at the start of the year.

1. Andy Murray will win in Australia in past years I have hedged my bets with Andy saying he will win a Grand Slam event either in Australia or the USA. This year after his Asian Autumn and the fact that Novak Djoković showed that Rafa and Fed can be beaten he will return after the injury at the end of season World Tour Finals he'll be back to go one better than both 2010 and 2011. I should have kept edging. Andy lost out to Djokovic in a tough 5 sets at the Australian open from 2-1 up in sets. He made his first Wimbledon final before losing to Federer, picking up his first Grand Slam final set. He then took Olympic gold, before winning the US Open 7-6. 7-5,2-6, 3-6, 6-2.
2. Barak Obama will be President and president elect. Of course the next term doesn't start until January 2013 but Obama with new running mate Hillary Clinton will see off the republican ticket of Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. He will do so despite losing both North Carolina and Florida among the big scoring states in the electoral college. OK POTUS stuck with Joe 'the Senator' Biden for Veep and Hillary is stepping aside at the inauguration, memoirs are looming. But Barack Obama has got four more years.
3. Rory McIlroy will win The Masters. After the blow up on the final nine holes at Augusta last year the Northern Irish golfer will come back and dominate the event on the course that suits his style of play. He will again lead after the 2nd and 3rd days. Pushing if not taking some of the records along the way. But on the 63rd hole of the Tournament the 10th on the last day he hits his tee shot straight down the middle. He birdies to extend his lead and heads back towards the inevitable green jacket. He didn't win the first major of the year tied for 3rd after the second round he dropped away to 40th, but no final round blow out. Rory . However, he did win the last the US PGA.
4. Kim Jong-un will be overthrown. Before the end of the year the people of North Korea will overthrow the inherited dictatorship of the Kim family. The young leader will not survive a year in his new position. He will flee in exile to Japan where he will enjoy the freedom he experienced briefly when he studied in Switzerland, handing power over peacefully to the people's uprising leadership. Somehow he won the vote to become Time magazine man of the year and is still in power. A Chinese magazine also fell for The Onion naming him the sexiest man in the world.
5. British women will shine at the Olympics the men will not do badly either. Beth Tweddle will retire after an inspired performance sees he lift gold in the Uneven Bars only a bronze for Beth. Rebecca Addlington will win double gold again! Ok double bronze in the 400m and 800m Keri-Ann Payne will win the swimming marathon in the Serpentine 4th. Sarah Stevenson will lift the Tae Kwan Do gold out in the prelims. Despite all this success some of the above will not make the Sports Personality of the Year shortlist. Well our first medal was in the road cycling and it was the women the day after Mark Cavendish failed to get his. Plus another medal from the women in day two. The total medal break down by gender was Women 10  Gold 6 Silver 6 Bronze, Men 18 G 9 S 13 B Mixed 1 Gold (2 women 1 man) 1 Silver (4 women 1 man) in the equestrian team events and 1 silver (1 women 1 man) in Tennis.
6. Greece will send its smallest ever team the founding nation of the Olympics will because of economic constraints send its smallest ever Olympic team just to maintain it's ever presence at the games. It will fail to send any teams for the team events, rowers or equestrians because of the cost and only send individuals and sailors who are able to get their own boats to Weymouth. The team of 104 was the smallest that Greece had send since the 70 that had attended in Barcelona in 1992. In Atlanta in 1996 they sent 121, Sydney 2000 there were 140, when Athens hosted in 2004 there were 426 home nation competitors and last time in Beijing there was still an increase to 156 over the 2000 numbers. This shrinkage is a total of xx%
7. Manx Missile will take Green and Gold. Mark these dates in your diary 4th, 5th, 6th,14th, 16th, 22nd and 28th July. The first six will be the stage wins that take Mark Cavendish to a second consecutive Green Jersey in the Tour the France the final one is after that little training jaunt around France (Belgium and Switzerland) sees him find along the Mall to pump the air wearing the Team GB jersey he wore to the rainbow jersey to Olympic gold. Little did I expect to see Mark take THREE stages in the Giro d'Italia and lose out on the Maglia Rossa (red jersey) by the time that race got to Milan by just one point to Joaquim Rodriguez. Just before the Tour Mark said he was changing his approach had lost some weight and speed. Well it didn't show in the 2nd July as he rode into Tournai without the famous lead out train he floated on other's wheels to take his 21st stage win. However the three earlt stages I had ear marked for success brought mixed fortunes, but none of them winning. He didn't win again until the 20th, but did win on the 22nd to make it four wins on the Champs d'Elysées in a row, with the Maillot Jaune on the back on Britain's Bradley Wiggins leading him out. Sadly for Mark nobody was prepared to help Team GB in the Olympic road race so he missed out on gold there to.
8. A DUP MLA will take part in Belfast Pride. Maybe I will fall down on this one but I really want to see the DUP take up the invite to engage with the other parties in the debate that is now traditionally part of the Belfast Pride week. I don't expect them to take part in the parade this year but a step to turn up to the debate with our politicians is a step in the right direction and will take place in the year that Jeff Dudgeon has received an MBE in the New Years Honours. Not quite an MLA but Lord Mayor Alderman Gavin Robinson did take part in the annual Pride Talks Back panel on 31 July.
9. William and Kate will give birth to a daughter. The third in line to the throne a Princess whose position will not be usurped by a subsequent brother will arrive in the Autumn/Winter of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year. After speculation she will be called Diana in the press it is announced her name shall be Margaret Elizabeth Victoria. Well the baby isn't due until next summer so I wasn't too far off on the baby prediction.
10. Gareth Malone gets a gong. In the Queen's Birthday Honours Gareth Malone will have bestowed upon him for services to choral music and the armed forces the honour of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). Sam Stevenson representing the women of the Military Wives Choir will be bestowed as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). Bang on target, well at least the first bit Gareth Malone was awarded the OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
11. Seb Coe wins Strictly Come Dancing. Fresh from running a very successful Olympics Lord Coe becomes the oldest ever winner of the glitter ball dancing with Natalie Lowe. Seb no! But Victoria Pendleton and Louis Smith with a gold, two silver and a bronze between them from the Games did take part. Louis of course adding the Glitterball to his silver and bronze from the summer of sport. Seb was awarded the Sports Personality of the Year lifetime achievement award.
12. Maggie Thatcher will win an Oscar and die on the same day. I was going to say in the same year but I'm being bold and say that on 26 February Meryl Streep will win the best Actress award at the 84th Academy Awards and the Iron Lady herself will pass away in her 87th year. Well Meryl did indeed win her Oscar, although the following day the papers did not carry obituaries for the woman she portrayed. Maggie celebrated her 87th birthday in October.

In summary I make that:

1. Near miss ½ point
2.  On the nose 1 point
3.  Close he won another major ½ point
4. Total failure nil point
5. British women (and men) did shine, just not the ones I singled out 1 point
6. It was only the smallest for 20 years nil point
7. Neither acheived nil point  
8. Not and MLA but they too part  ½ point
9. Baby imminent  ½ point
10. Honoured just the wrong station 1 point
11. Wrong Olympic connection but an Olympic win ½ point
12. Meryl got her Oscar but the Iron Lady still lives ½ point 

So I make that  6 points out of twelve. Not bad.

All that remains is to announce that my predictions for 2013 will be posted in an hour, my last post for 2012.