Gold Post Boxes for Uniqueness

Apparently the Royal Mail have stated that they will not paint a mail box gold for Northern Ireland's own golden girl Kelly Gallagher. They say the the 59 gold post boxes for the Olympians and 50 for the Paralympians were for a unique occurrence.

With 109 of them that is new definition of unique.

But initially there were only 106 of them all of which were on the GB part of Team Great Britain and Norther Ireland. The other three were awarded for five gold medals one for Bethany Firth in Seaforde, County Down, and for their two gold medals apiece but just one box Michael McKillop in Glengormley, Antrim and Jason Smyth in Eglington, Londonderry. These three were UK nationals who competed for the Irish Paralympic team.

However, the case for uniqueness is strong for Kelly Gallagher. She is the first Winter Paralympian ever to win a gold since the first Winter Paralympics in 1976. Plus she is the first GB athlete to win on snow in either the Olympics of Paralympics since 1924.

Therefore I am suggesting if the Royal Mail really want to honour uniqueness there should be 8 more gold mail boxes.

Firstly we need a gold mail bow in Mottingham, Kent to honour Launceston Elliot. Although he was born in Tasmania to Scottish parents it was here that Britain's first gold medalist is listed in both the 1891 and 1901 census. At 21 he won that historic, and unique, first medal in those first 1896  games in the one handed lift. We did another Gold in those first Games but painting a Mail Box gold in O'Connell Street, Dublin to honour John Pius Boland's gold in tennis is asking for trouble.

Next up we need the Royal Mail to say #Ilovecurling and provide Scotland with four more gold mail boxes, indeed South Lanarkshire would get three for itself. Edinburgh would need to find another one to paint gold for Robin Welsh, Biggar would deserve one for Tom Murray,  and f there are two mail boxes in Carnwath they need painting for the father and son team of William Kilgour Jackson and his son Laurence. William was the skip in the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France in 1924 of which the other three all member of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club brought home the gold.

There will of course be purists who insist that Kennsington should receive one gold post box instead of Scotland's four to mark the fact that Madge Syers took GB's first gold medal in an ice or snow sport in the 1908 London Olympics. So maybe we should provide one for here uniqueness as well, so make that nine more gold mail boxes.

There will have to either be one in Lacashire where she is from or Watford where she now resides for Margaret Maughan. She was the archer who was the first GB Paralympian to win gold in the 1960 Games which saw 28 gold medals coming back from Rome that year.

As well as these six seven deserving firsts we will also mark the success earlier this week with boxes in Bangor, County Down and Chatham, Kent for Kelly and her guide Charlotte Evans, for their acheivement in the Visually Impaired Super-G.

This would lead to a total of nine new post boxes marking all the firsts now that we have them all. And there will be five for men and four for women.

#Principle6 is for all not just the Olympic Zone

The Sochi Olympics*

*Usual Terms and Conditions may or may not apply

While the Opening Ceremony was underway in Sochi this was the scene in Red Square, Moscow.


Principle 6 of the Olympic charter states:

Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.

This is clear discrimination against people on the ground of otherwise. President Putin says people can be LGBT as long as they don't touch the children. I see no children in this video.

Thomas Bach in his opening speech last night said:

This is the Olympic Message the athletes spread to the host country and to the whole world. Yes, it is possible to strive even for the greatest victory with respect for the dignity of your competitors. Yes, Yes, it is possible - even as competitors - to live together under one roof in harmony, with tolerance and without any form of discrimination for whatever reason.

It was a part of the message that American broadcaster NBC is facing criticism for editing out.

Yes the host nation if it is abusing Principle 6 of the charter in incompatible with being part of the Olympic Movement. This is what was happening last night and it is time that IOC actually specified that otherwise does include sexual orientation and not leave it vague, and then take action.

1936 Winter Olympic Games: IV Garmisch-Partenkirchen

In the run up to London 2012 I did a series looking back at all the previous Olympics posting it at 5pm every Friday, I've decided to do the same in the run up to Sochi 2014 with the Winter Olympic Games. You can catch up on any you missed in the Olympiads Revisited tab.

As with the 1924 and 1932 Winter Olympic Games the IOC approached the nation that was hosting the Summer Games of 1936 about hosting of the Winter Games. The twin-town Bavarian resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, right down by the Austrian border was chosen.

Competitors 646 (+282)

Nations 28 (+11)
Events 17 (+3)
Sports 6 (+1)

6 February to 16 February 1936 hosted by Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany

New nations to take up the Winter Olympic cause were Australia, Bulgaria, Greece, Liechtenstein, Spain and Turkey.

Australia though only officially represented by Ken Kennedy in the speed skating, coming in the 30s in the 500m, 1500m and 5000m, actually had another representative. Frederick McEvoy was representing Great Britain in the bobsleigh, he actually carried the Union Flag in the opening ceremony. He went on to take bronze in the four-man and just missed out in 4th place in the two man event. 

Bulgaria with a team of six took part in both the Alpine and Cross Country Skiing, more successfully in the latter as they DNF or were disqualified in the alpine events. Their men came 15th in the 4x10km relay and all four completed the 18km race. Greece sent one man Dimitrios Negrepontis who actually took part in the Alpine Combined and 18km Cross Country. However, he was disqualified in the second run of the slalom in the combing and did not finish in the cross country.

Liechtenstein despite being the smallest of the new nations actually sent four athletes. Two in the Alpine Combined who also failed in the second run of the slalom, and a two man bob team who finished 18th out of the 23 crews. Spain sent two women in the Alpine Combined, one didn't start the slalom and the other fell foul on the second run., and four men in the cross country 18km.

Turkey sent six men, four of whom took part in the Alpine Combined, one of those Mahmut Şevket was one of the two who took part in the 18km Cross Country, with another and the other Alpine crossover Reşat Erceş  they entered but did not finish the 4x10km relay. Indeed only Şevket finished any of his events, he was the 72nd and last finished in the 18km Cross Country though he was 25 minutes behind the Brit Francis Walker who was 71st and just two seconds shy of 55 minutes behind gold medallist Erik August Larsson of Sweden.

Let's ski downhill

First Alpine Olympic champion Christl Cranz

The first three Olympics had all featured skiing but all of it had been the Nordic cross country variety. Garmisch-Partenkirchen saw the addition of a new Olympic discipline Alpine Skiing.

Unlike the Nordic which went uphill, downhill and along on the flat, this was all in a downhill direction, it had been around as a sport since 1861. The event debuted with two combined events one for men and the other for women.

Both events were dominated by the Germans who took gold and silver in both. But with the women's Slalom happening on February 8th completing their event a full day before the men's Christl Cranz, who was born in Belgium,becoming the first Olympic Alpine champion. She had only been 6th after the Downhill on the 7th, but her superior slalom skills took her to the top of the field. She came ahead of her compatriot Käthe Grasegger and Norway's Laila Schou Nilsen.

In total from 1934 until the out break of World War II in 1939 Cranz had won twelve world championships, five combined, four in slalom and three in downhill, when she hadn't won in the individual disciplines she had won silver. In a German friendly only 1941 World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, she won a final clean sweep and then retired. Her younger brother had finished 6th in the men's event, but ended up being killed on his first day in action on the Eastern Front 22 June 1941.

In that men's event  Birger Ruud of Norway had lead after the Downhill put all three of the men who were behind him moved up one spot to assume the medal spots. Germans Franz Pfnür and Gustav Lantschner while in bronze came Frenchman Émile Allais. Allias was to live to see his 100th birthday on 25th February 1912, but when he died on 17th October last year no pre-war Winter Olympic medalist was still alive.

No success in Alpine but...

Birger Rudd retains his Olympic title

Birger Ruud who had been leading the Alpine combined after the downhill was already a decorated Olympian. He had won the gold in the ski jumping in 1932 in Lake Placid. Along with his brothers Sigmund (who had won Olympic silver in 1928) and Asbjørn (who won the 1938 World Championships) the family were a dominant force in ski jumping in the 1930s.

With two world championships and as the defending champion Birger came into the 1936 Games as the favourite.  Although Sweden's Sven Eriksson managed to jump 76 metres in both rounds to Ruud's 75 and 74.5 metres it was the Norwegian's style points that saw him retain his Olympic title.

He was to return in 1948 at the age of 36 for his third Olympics and managed a silver medal behind another Norwegian, maintaining their record of being the only nation to win the ski jumping, indeed a record they would retain until 1956.

Shock in the Ice Hockey

Great Britain beat Canada twice to earn gold in Ice Hockey

Canada had been untouchable by anybody it seemed but possibly the USA in the Ice Hockey championships so including the 1920 Summer Games they were coming to Germany with four successive Gold Medals.

In the first round unsurprisingly Canada came through their group unbeaten, as did Czechoslovakia and Great Britain in their groups. In the other the hosts lost the group opened to the USA, but went won their other two. But the USA suffered a shock loss in double overtime to the Italians who if they had beaten Switzerland the following day could have knocked out the USA behind themselves and the Germans if they scored enough goals. Fortunately the USA made it through to the second round avoiding embarrassment.

In that second round the Great Britain team stared with by beating the Canadians and then tying with the Germans to top their group. The Canadians had won their other two games and made it through to the final group. While in the other Group USA won all three of their games and were joined by Czechoslovakia in the final.

In the final round yet again Great Britain faced Canada in the first game and yet again won, before beating the Czechs 5-0. In their third Game they were up against the USA. The USA had a final game the next day against Canada so a win here would have given them a change of taking gold even if they only managed a tie in the last game. But instead the two nations played the longest goalless game in Winter Olympic history, nobody scoring in the three periods or three of overtime.

It meant that the last game that was supposed to be the gold medal match between the USA and Canada was only for silver Great Britain with 5 points could only be equaled on points by the USA but would have to have beaten Canada by 5 clear goals to secure gold. As it was the fresher Canadians won 1-0 to take silver.

Triple for Ballangrud

Ballangrud right and Wasenius

Four years on from the mass starts in the speed skating at Lake Placid, the order of man against man was restored, the women's demonstration events in 1932 were not repeated or absorbed into the main programme for now.

The man who seemed to benefit the most was Norway's Ivar Ballangrud. Having come away with a single silver four years before he came away with golds in the 500m, 5000, and 10,000m, in the latter two setting new Olympic records and in the first equaling the existing mark. He was to add a silver in the only other event the 1500m, despite beating the previous Olympic record to his fellow Norwegian Charles Mathiesen.

The next most successful skater of the event was Birger Wasenius of Finland. He took silver in both the longer disciplines and bronze in the 1500m. He was used to coming second behind Ballangrud, indeed four of his six world or Olympic silvers were to be behind the Norwegian. However, at the end of the Games when the call goes out for the young people to assemble in four years hence little did the Finn realise that because of the Winter War between Finland and Russia in 1939-40 that he would be killed in action fighting on the islands of Lake Ladoga on the 2nd January 1940.

Jumping for gold

Herber and Baier about to take off

While jumps were already part of the individual figure skating routines the 1936 Olympics saw a revolution in the pairs. Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier (who also took silver in the mens) were to be the first pair to jump side by side.

The pair were to retire in 1940 and then got married. They had three children together before getting divorced in 1964. Ernst married another figure skater who was only 3 months old when they won their Olympic medal but that marriage only lasted 8 years before he remarried Herber before again divorcing.

Elsewhere in the figure skating Sonja Henie Norway completed in her fourth games winning her third consecutive gold. Although it wasn't to be plain sailing for the Norwegian this time. Great Britain's Cecilia Colledge ran her close in the compulsory figures and when Henie saw the scores posted on the board apparently whipped them down and tore them up. In the free skating programme Henie was to go last while her close rival was second out of the 26 skaters to have to perform before the crowd were warmed up into a frenzy and the judges usually became freer with high scores later on. There was controversy over this perceived favouritism and in later events the staggered draw putting the top competitors together in the last group was adopted to avoid too much shadow of doubt about fairness.

Always the bridesmaid

Reto Capadrutt driving

Swiss bobsleigh driver Reto Capadrutt was taking part in his second Olympics. In 1932 he had taken silver in the two man event and just missed out on the medals with a fourth place in the four man. He came to Garmisch as the world champion in the two man from the event in Igls, Austria the year before. In St. Moritz where the founr man world championships that year were held he had taken bronze.

The four man event took place first on the 11th and 12th of February. On day one he drove his team Switzerland I to a time of 1:23.49 on the first run. This put them behind Germany I on 1:20.73, Belgium II 1:22.22, Switzerland II 1:22.45 and Great Britain I 1:23.48. The second run of the day saw them record 1:19.88, it was only bettered by their fellow countrymen in 1:18:78 and USA I on 1:19.17. It was enough with Germany I only recording 1:23.05, Belgium II 1:23.52 and Great Britain I 1:20.18 to move them up to second place some 0.19 of a second ahead of Great Britain I and 0.41 ahead of Germany I.

On day two the British team took 0.01 off that lead on the first run but the Germans had a disaster losing over 3 seconds. Switzerland II however gained another 0.85 seconds to lead by over 3 seconds going into the last run. On that last run USA I were the fastest a mere 0.07 seconds faster than Capadrutt had driven his crew. He secured another Olympic silver behind his fellow country men.

The 14th and 1th were a disaster for him in the two man event, on run three alone he lost 10 seconds to his fellow Swiss who were fastest on the last three runs but didn't do enough to overhaul USA I's lead from the first. It meant that in a total of 16 legs in the tow Olympic disciplines he had only been fastest down in one run the first of the two men runs in 1932, secured two silver medals and a fourth place.

In the 1939 World Championships the last before the outbreak of war disaster struck as in the four man event he was killed while competing at the age of 27. He was never to get a chance to go one step higher on the Olympic podium.

We will remember them...military patrol

There were rumours of Europe being on the brink of war and the men who took part in the 1936 Military patrol knew full well that if war were to come  they would be some of the first to quite literally face some of their competitors when there was more than Olympic medals on the line. This precursor to the biathlon was still a demonstration sport and open only to serving soldiers therefore in a few short years many of these competitors would see their Olympic skills tested in the field, their skiing and shooting not for glory for for preservation. Unsurprisingly many failed to live to see the next Olympic Games.

The gold medal winning Italians

Of the gold medal winning Italians who were all member of the mountain warfare unit Luigi Perenni died in mountain exercise in August 1943, one of his team mates Enrico Silvestri would join the Italian resistance in 1944 and together with the other two members survive the war.

Silver medal winning Finland suffered hard, their military was thrown into a winter war against the Soviet Union in 1939 which claimed two of their number Kalle Arantola on 12 February 1940 and a week later Olli Huttunen, the third non-officer Olli Remes died in East Karelia during the continuation war on New Year's Eve 1942.

The officer of the 5th placed German team Herbert Leupold was killed on the Eastern Front in the North Caucasus region of Krasnodar Krai on 22 December 1942. He had the rank of Lieutenant at the time of the Games.

But some survived with honour.

French officer Jacque Faure survived the war serving in Norway, as attaché to de Gaulle's General Staff in London, before being sent back to France. He rose to the rank of General. During the Algerian War in 1954-62 he planned a coup against the French Government in North Africa in 1956.

Polish officer Władysław Żytkowicz was active during the German invasion of his country in 1939, he retreated with his troops into Romania after the Soviet Union also invaded Poland as a ally of Germany at the time. From there he made his way to French administered Syria where surviving Polish troops regrouped at the Independent Carpathian Brigade. When the French capitulated to the Germans he moved to British controlled Palestine. He saw action at Tobruk and in the Italian Campaign and at the end of the war smuggled his family out of Soviet occupied Poland to Italy, from where the Polish troops returned to Britain for demobilisation and from there settled in the USA.
 

Tokyo 2020

So we are off to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

Here is the final presentation video.




They have a very compact vision for the Games with 85% of all venues being with 8km of the Olympic village located in the old harbour area of Tokyo Bay. Even the sailing will have the novelty of being close to the heart of the Olympics. With cycling taking place within the Imperial Palace Gardens and the 1964 Olympic Stadium being renovated to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup as well as the Opening and Closing ceremonies as well as Track and Field.

But it is the harbour area of Tokyo that already hosts some world class sport facilities that will see many more get developed in what is going to be a very compact Games.

And the Games of the XXXII Olympiad are awarded to...

WATCH THIS SPACE TOKYO

Voting is about to get under way.

 After a tie in round one Istanbul secured 48 to 46 by Madrid to proceed to the final round against Tokyo. 

The votes have been counted and we are now just awaiting the official announcement on the hour. 

Is the IOC having a 1968 moment?

The International Olympic Committee was asked by Gay Star News if they were going to 'make sure the LGBT community in Russia can have a visible, proud, safe presence at the games.'

The response from the IOC was 'Regarding your suggestions, the IOC has a clear rule laid out in the Olympic Charter (Rule 50) which states that the venues of the Olympic Games are not a place for proactive political or religious demonstration.'

Rule 50 states:

No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.

The penalty for violating this clause is “disqualification or withdrawal of the accreditation of the person concerned” without appeal. This is what happened to Tommie Smith and John Carlos for making their Black Power salute on the podium in Mexico in 1968 after the men's 200m.

However, near the start of the Olympic Charter are the fundamental principles of Olympism, I'm highlighting just a few of them:

1. Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the
   qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism
   seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good
   example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles
2. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development
   of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the
   preservation of human dignity.
4. The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of
   practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which
   requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
5.  
6. Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race,
   religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic
   Movement. 
   
7. Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter

   and recognition by the IOC.

My question to the IOC would be where is the preservation of human dignity by the hosts of the XXII Winter Olympic Games. The practice of sport and spectating is a human right, which should be defended for all without discrimination of any kind. Yet where does a same-sex couple whether a competitor of spectator stand if they are caught holding hands, or maybe kissing their partner after successfully winning a medal?

The IOC itself allowed for a Pride House at both the 2010 Winter Olympics and in London last summer. They had a place where LGBT athletes and supporters could be highlighted and supported in the end to discrimination. As I wrote on the lead up to the Games there was a Team LGB that was visible in London. There is a Team LGB that is hoping to be selected for Sochi.

There will be LGB athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, some may like Matthew Mitcham after Beijing 2008 been seen with their partner after they have competed. There are also LGBT spectators from around the world who are Olympic-philes, people such as myself. Some will go to any length to watch a Games, or to be in the area where the Games are taking place to soak up the atmosphere. How are the fundamentals of Olympism, going to help them should the new laws in Russia with such a loose definition of propaganda? The talk of coming down on 'non-traditional sexual orientation' does not offer much hope.

Is it time to add coherently sexual orientation into the list of discrimination listed in the Olympic charter rather than including it under 'or otherwise'?

The IOC is heading towards  a repeat of 1968. Remember their banning of the two athletes who gave the black power salute didn't prevent their message from being heard, it is heard loud and clear even to this day. Do we have modern day martyrs ready to show the IOC and the Russian National Olympic Committee that such a prejudicial and discriminatory law has not place in a member of the Olympic movement?

Olympics Candidate Cities' promotional videos XXXII Olympiad

The IOC yesterday posted on YouTube the promotional videos for the Candidate Cities for the 2020 Summer Games; Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid. The decision of who will host the XXXII Olympiad will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina with the decision being made on 7th September

So here they are:

Andrew Simpson Olympic Yachtsman 1976-2013

Simpson on the right with Iain Percy

Andrew Simpson was the crewman who along with Iain Percy won gold in the Star class at the Beijing Olympics and silver in the same class last summer.

He was a competitive sailor in the Finn class before teaming up with Percy, winning silver in the 2001 European Championships and bronze in the 2003 worlds. But of course that was a class where fellow Brit Ben Ainslie ruled supreme so the chance to crew for Percy allowed him to take part in two Olympics.

With the Star class cut from the 2016 Olympic regatta Simpson's eyes turned towards the America's Cup, like those of his teenage training partner and rival Ben Ainslie. Yesterday he was training with the Swedish crew Artemis Racing in San Francisco Bay for who he was the strategist. The catamaran flipped over and he was trapped underneath for 10 minutes and efforts from doctors out in the bay and onshore were unable to revive him.

Speaking after missing out on gold only in the medal race last summer when the wind shifted Simpson said,

"It's a lottery at times. That last run proved it. We didn't get it right. Sorry for everyone who's watching. We tried our hardest." 

Sadly that lottery of water, wind and men trying to control both claimed his life yesterday.

Thoughts are with his wife Leah, their young son Freddie, the rest of the Artemis crew and all his friends and family.

Andrew Simpson 17 December 1976 - 9 May 2013

Arise Sir Wiggo and other Olympic and Paralympic Honours

Top of the heap in the special list of Olympic and Paralympic honours in the New Year's Honours List have to be the Knighthoods for cyclist Bradley Wiggins and sailor Ben Ainslie, there will also be Dame Sarah Storey for the Swimmer turned Cyclist who had started swimming at the Paralympics 20 years ago to win a British record equaling total of 11 gold medals. Coaches Dave Brailsford (cycling) and David Tanner (Rowing) are also awarded Knighthoods. Tanner has been performance director of GB rowing for 16 years a similar length of time that Brailsford has been involved with British Cycling.

This does mean that Britian's five living most decorated in gold Olympians are all knights Sir Chris Hoy with 6 golds,Sir Steve Redgrave 5, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Sir Ben Ainslie 4. Sarah Storey joins Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson who became a Dame in 2005, but the other Brit with eleven Paralympic golds Dave Roberts remains with only a CBE, while Mike Kenny, the forgotten Paralympian, who won 16 from 1976-88 is only an MBE.

There are CBEs for gold medalists Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and David Weir (athletics), Katherine Grainger (rowing) and Victoria Pendleton (cycling).

OBEs go to cycling's golden couple Jason Kenny and Laura Trott, equestrians Charlotte Dujardin and Sophie Christiansen, Andy Murray (tennis) and Ellie Simmonds (swimming).

While MBEs go to

• Nicola Adams, Luke Campbell and Anthony Joshua (boxing) and Jade Jones (taekwondo)
• Canoeists Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott, plus Ed McKeever. 
• Dujardin's dressage team mates Laura Bechtolsheimer and Carl Hester, Christiansen's team mates Natasha Baker, Deborah Criddle and Sophie Wells the show jumpers Scott Brash, Peter Charles and Ben Maher, eventer Mary King. 
• Triathlete Alistair Brownlee and gymnast Louis Smith
• Archery's Danielle Brown and Peter Wilson for shooting
• Heather Lucas in sailing
• Swimmers Josef Craig, Jonathan Fox, Heather Fredericksen, Oliver Hynd. 
• Cyclists Steven Burke, Mark Colbourne, Neil Fachie, Philip Hindes, Peter Kennaugh, Dani King, Craig MacLean and Joanna Rowsell
• Boccia player Nigel Murray
• Rowers Katherine Copeland, Helen Glover, Alex Gregory, Sophie Hosking, Pam Relph, Naomi Riches, James Roe, David Smith, Heather Stanning, Lily van den Broecke and Anna Watkins
• Athletes Jessica-Jane Applegate, Mickey Bushell, Hannah Cockroft, Aled Davies, Jonnie Peacock, Josie Pearson, Greg Rutherford and Richard Whitehead

People will have noticed that I haven't split this list  by Olympian or Paralympian because I think they all deserve equal recognition for what they achieved this year.

Team LGB how did they do at #London2012?

In my post Olympic round up I forgot to look at my blog post of the Lesbian Gay and Bisexuals in Team LGB and how they did. Not least because reports before the Games seemed to miss out some of this team which grew over the 16 days of competition.

If they had been a separate nation they would have been part of four gold medals, won one silver and been part of two bronze putting them in 20th place on the medal table ahead of North Korea and kust behind the Czech Republic.

The golds went to Carl Hester GB part of the Dressage Team, Seimone Augustus USA part of the women's basketball team, Megan Raphinoe USA part of the women's football team and Marilyn Agliotti, Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel, Kim Lammers & Maartje Paumen Netherlands all part of the women's hockey team.

Silver was taken by Judith Arndt Germany in the women's road rave time trail. While the bronzes went to Edward Gal Netherlands behind Hester's GB team in the Dressage and  Lisa Raymond who with Mike Bryan teamed up for the mixed doubles in tennis.

For the rest of the team.

Raymond with playing partner Liezel Huber lost out in her other bronze medal match in the women's doubles.

Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Germany, finished just outside the medals in the women's road race cycling coming 4th.

Hester also managed 5th in the individual dressage with Gal 9th.

Imke Duplitxer, Germany, helped her team to 5th place in the women's team épée but individually was knocked out in the round of 32.

Jessica Harrison, France, came 9th in the women's triathlon,her partner Carole Péon 29th for the same nation.

Matthew Mitcham, Australia, was the only member of Team LGB defending an individual title but two poor dives at the end of the semi-final saw him finish 13th and just our of the final places.

Mayssa Pessoa, Brazil, was one of a number of Team LGB who helped their teams top their groups in the pool stages. For her it was in the women's handball but they lost out to eventual champions Norway 21-19 in the Quarter Finals.

Alexandra Lacrabère, France, was part of the women's handball team that topped their group, but lost out in a 23-22 quarter final match against Montenegro the eventual silver medalists.



Rikke Skov, Denmark, was yet another handball player. She topped scored for her team in the first match, but failed to progress from the same group as Lacrabère and France above.

Lisa Dahlqvist, Sweded, scored in her teams opening game in the women's  football pool to help them top their group, sadly they lost to France 2-1 in the Quarter Final match in Glasgow. Fellow member of team LGB member Hedwig Lindahl played in goal through all four matches an


Karen Hultzer, South Africa, shot to rank 46th in the women's archery, but failed to then progress past the first knock out round.

Nicola Cook, Australia lost all three of her pool matches in the women's beach volleyball and failed to progress.

Update 2 Dec 2013: Of course since the Games British diver Tom Daley started a relationship with a man the following spring, but still fancies girls. So that is another bronze medal in the 10m platform single that was won.

Well done Team GB #London2012

29 golds 17 silver and 19 bronze.

Only the USA and China won more gold and the Russian Federation more medals. It has been majestic to watch you all and an inspiration even for this old runner. All of our competitors even those that didn't medal have shown true inspiration, but here are (most of) the lucky few who found themselves in the top three of their sport in the world.

So in alphabetical order irrelevant of medal well done to...

Nicola Adams - gold women's flyweight boxing
Rebecca Adlington - bronze women's 400m freestyle and bronze women's 800m freestyle
Ben Ainslie - gold Finn class
Lizzie Armistead - silver women's road race
Tim Baillie - gold men's C-2 slalom
Ashleigh Ball - bronze women's hockey
Laura Bartlett - bronze women's hockey
Chris Bartley - silver men's lightweight coxless four
Laura Bechtolsheimer - gold team dressage and bronze individual dressage
Stuart Bithell - silver men's 470 Class
Alistair Brownlee - gold men's tirathlon
Johnny Brownlee - bronze men's triathlon
Scott Brash - gold team jumping
Karina Bryant - bronze women's +78kg judo
Steve Burke - gold men's team pursuit
Alan Campbell - bronze men's single sculls
Luke Campbell - gold men's bantamweight boxing
Peter Chambers - silver men's lightweight coxless four
Richard Chambers  - silver men's lightweight coxless four 
Peter Charles - gold team jumping
Saskia Clarke - silver women's 470 Class
Ed Clancy - gold men's team pursuit and bronze men's omnium
Tina Cook - silver team eventing
Katherine Copeland - gold women's lightweight double sculls
Christa Cullen - bronze women's hockey
Tom Daley - bronze men's 10m platform
Alex Danson - bronze women's hockey
Nick Dempsey - silver men's sailboard
Charlotte Dujardin - gold individual dressage and gold team dressage
Richard Egington - bronze men's eight
Jessica Ennis - gold women's heptathlon
Fred Evans - silver men's welterweight boxing
Mo Farah - gold men's 5000m and gold men's 10,000m
David Florence - silver men's C-2 slalom
James Foad - bronze men's eight
William Fox-Pitt - silver team eventing
Chris Froome - bronze men's time trial
Gemma Gibbons - silver women's 78kg judo
Helen Glover - gold women's coxless pair
Robbie Grabarz - bronze men's high jump
Katherine Grainger - gold women's double sculls
Alex Gregory - gold men's coxless four
Liam Heath - bronze men's  K-2 200m
Carl Hester - gold team dressage
Phelan Hill - bronze men's eight
Philip Hindes - gold men's team sprint
Sophie Hosking - gold women's lightweight double sculls
Richard Hounslow- silver men's C-2 slalom
Chris Hoy - gold men's team sprint and gold men's keirin
Mark Hunter - silver men's lightweight double sculls
Tom James - gold men's coxless four
Michael Jamieson - silver men's 200m breaststroke
Jade Jones - gold women's 57kg taekwondo
Anthony Joshua - gold men's super heavyweight boxing
Peter Kennaugh - gold men's team pursuit
Jason Kenny - gold men's team sprint and gold men's sprint
Dani King - gold women's team pursuit
Mary King - silver team eventing
Matthew Langridge - bronze men's eight
Constantine Louloudis - bronze men's eigh

Ed McKeever - men's k-1 200m
Hannah Macleod - bronze women's hockey
Emily Maguire - bronze women's hockey
Ben Maher - gold team jumping
Hannah Mills - silver women's 470 Class
Lutalo Muhammad - bronze men's 80kg taekwondo
Andy Murray - gold men's singles and silver mixed doubles
Samantha Murray - silver women's modern pentathlon
George Nash - bronze men's coxless pair
Anthony Ogogo - bronze men's middleweight boxing
Christine Ohuruogu - silver women's 400m
Sam Oldham - bronze men's artistic team all-around
Anne Panter - bronze women's hockey
Alex Partridge - bronze men's eight
Luke Patience - silver men's 470 Class
Victoria Pendleton - gold women's keirin and silver women's sprint
Iain Percy - silver Star Class
Zara Phillips - silver team eventing
Zac Purchase - silver men's lightweight double sculls
Dan Pruvis - bronze men's artistic team all-around
Tom Ransley - bronze men's eight
Pete Reed - gold men's coxless four
Helen Richardson - bronze women's hockey
Laura Robson - silver mixed doubles
Chloe Rogers - bronze women's hockey
Joanne Rowsell - gold women's team pursuit
Greg Rutherford - gold men's long jump
Will Satch - bronze men's coxless pair
Mohamed Sbihi - bronze men's eight
Jon Schofield - bronze men's  K-2 200m
Greg Searle - bronze men's eight
Andrew Simpson - silver Star Class
Nick Skelton - gold team jumping
Louis Smith - silver men's pommel and bronze men's artistic team all-around
Heather Stanning - gold women's coxless pair
Beth Storey - bronze women's hockey
Etienne Stott -  gold men's C-2 slalom
Kristian Thomas - bronze men's artistic team all-around
Geraint Thomas - gold men's team pursuit
Sarah Thomas - bronze women's hockey
Andrew Triggs-Hodge - gold men's coxless four
Laura Trott - gold women's team pursuit and gold women's omnium
Beth Tweddle - bronze women's  uneven bars
Georgie Twigg - bronze women's hockey
Laura Unsworth - bronze women's hockey
Kate Walsh - bronze women's hockey
Sally Walton - bronze women's hockey
Anna Watkins - gold women's double sculls
Nicola White - bronze women's hockey
Max Whitlock - bronze men's artistic team all-around and bronze men's pommel
Bradley Wiggins - gold men's time trial
Rob Williams  - silver men's lightweight coxless four
Nicola Wilson - - silver team eventing
Peter Wilson - gold men's double trap

Our Greatest Team!

Well they certainly lived up to that promise. Looking forward to Rio 2016 but let us not forget the Paralympics coming to TV, radio or venues near you soon. 

Gold for my Uni #London2012

My university town was close to some of the Olympic action, the torch sailed past it on opening day and the cyclists rode through it both in the road race and the time trails.

But our summer Alumni magazine looked at all sorts of aspects in which our Alumni were involved in the Games from designing the livery for the nine British Airways Olympic jets, to broadcasting (including a previous Olympic medal Alumnus Gail Emms in the badminton plus 155 students gaining experience in their fields), to being part of the Olympic ad hoc Court of Arbitration for Sport. But one aspect was like me one of Kingston Universities sporting alumni and he had a real chance for gold as he was world champion in his event in 2010.

He event was new a shorter canoe sprint over just 200m of the course at Eton Dorney just up stream from our University town. Yesterday morning he did strike gold making it at the time 26 for Team GB.

For the former Polytechnic it was to be a second Olympic medal following Emms's silver 8 years ago, but Kingston University's first gold.

Ambassador Coe #London2012

I quite delighted and not in the least surprised that Lord Coe has been given the role of Legacy Ambassador following on from the London 2012 Games.

Ever since he retired from the track he has been working to inspire others, even when he was still competing he was looking out for the interests of others. Since he stepped in to the role to head the bid and then deliver the Games he has been working with all the national sports bodies to get the best for their sport, their athletes and and their fans at these Games.

The venues have all appeared accessible and friendly from the spectator at homes point of view. The commentators on all the sports (and I have watched all the sports at some point or other) have been informative but not patronising on any aspect, especially when it came to some of the intricate specifics at times of tension, controversy or deciding factors.

I have no doubt that Lord Coe, or Seb if you want will be able to inspire and lead on to make sure that British sport form the grass roots to the elite level continues to aspire to the greatness that we have seen this last fortnight. We have some of the best elite facilities in the world in so many sports, but we need to continue to identify the ability in our young people and direct them in the right direction. To do that we need to inspire them and give them the opportunity to shine, not just around our Olympic venues this fortnight or the Paralympics to come, but we need to spot them shining at schools, local sports clubs or wherever and take them forward with the coaching and other facilities that we have. Coe is well placed for that task he has the respect of many, the authority of experience not just in competing but of delivering.

Irish flag bearer takes gold #London2012

Ireland came to a stand still before 5pm today.

The Katie Taylor carried their flag into the Olympic stadium. She has previously played Gaelic and Association Football, in the latter she has scored for the senior ladies team. But at the ExCeL arena this afternoon the stands were full of Irish fight fans (who I think were cheering on Nicola Adams in the previous fight on the card the Flyweight final) to see if Ireland could claim their first gold.

Taylor is the reigning European and world champion, indeed she has a long golden trail in both those championships. She was facing Sofya Ochigava from Russia herself a past European and World Champion, but the last time they met she had lost to Taylor in that World Championship title fight.

The final was a tight affair on the scoring going 10-8 over the 4 two minute rounds, but it  was in favour of Taylor, securing Ireland's first gold of these Games only 24 hours after they won their first medal.

USA making history for all the wrong reasons #London2012

So all three Jamaicans are into the final of the men's 200m.

Wallace Spearmon - but is he unique?

But there is something amiss. From the USA only Wallace Spearmon will line up alongside them.

So I decided to look up the record books to find out if this had ever happened before, I will of course ignore 1980 which the USA boycotted. Firstly before 1960 there were only six lanes on the bend of the tracks, but even then we go back many years still searching for such an event.

The music that plays before each medal ceremony is a clue as to who the last American to be the sole representative in the 200m final, but not it was not 1924. It was however, 4 years later and the man in question was Jackson Scholz . Although as Charlie Paddock and Henry Cumming both of the USA were fourth and the next fastest losers in the semi finals it isn't really as poor a show.

So I'm now wondering if in any of six games that the event has been run were there less and one American in the top 8?

Jackson Scholz (number 566) last time sole American in 200m final

Not in 1924 where a certain Eric Liddell's bronze, behind Scholz and Paddock prevented them taking the top four places and a certain Harold Abrahams was the sixth man in the final.

Nor in 1920 when Paddock was again stuck in silver behind team mate Allen Woodring with another in fourth with Great Britain again denying the clean sweep. So we have to look pre-Great War.

In 1912 the top three were again USA, USA, Great Britain with two more Americans in the final.

1908 there were only 4 lanes but the USA still managed half the finalists and two of the medals though Canada took gold in the first London Games. 1904 in St Louis they had all four finalists and in 1900 there were two of the four finalists again from the USA.

Therefore on a equal basis the USA have never failed to get at least two men into the top 8 of the 200m in history! Only once before in 1928 have they failed to get two men into the final.

So Maurice Mitchell posting the only the eighth fastest loser time (outside the top two in the three semis) and Isiah Young posting the slowest of the 23 men who finished have set a little bit of USA Olympic history that nobody was expecting.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 7 #London2012

Today was the day that Team GB not only equaled their best* Olympic performance in modern times, but soared past it. It was a Tremendous Tuesday. So those folks at the Royal Mail have had their work cut out for them once again with four more stamps to produce and ship.

First up in and around Hyde Park there was the men's triathlon where the hot favourites were the Bradford Brownlee brothers (adding to Yorkshire's top ten position in the medal table). They were both in the lead group in the water, stayed ahead at the start of the cycling and then formed a trio with Javier Gomez in the run. But the elder brother Alistair was the first to cross the line by the Serpentine.

If you had signed up for the Royal Mail First Day Covers you're twentieth was free, so the one you will be receiving will be for Team Dressage. Carl Hester on Uthopia, Laura Bechtolsheimer on Minstral Horjis were sitting on the best and third best scores with all the German's completed before Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro came in and rode the best test of the day to secure another historic gold as Britain's first ever medal in dressage. So a gold post office will appear on one of the smallest of the British Isles of Sark for Hester, Apney St. Peter the adopted home in Gloucestershire of Bechtolsheimer, maybe the London borough of Enfield will try and claim a golden post box for Dujardin as that was where she was born as opposed to Newent Glos. where she is based.

At this point the GB medal table read 20 12 12, I don't think anyone would have guessed that at any point we would have read the  year in the number of golds and silvers.

Just over an hour later it was the turn of Laura Trott to get her second gold of these Games. She won three of the six disciplines of the Omnium the most important being in the last the 500m time trail where she had to win and come three places higher than Sarah Hammer (USA). That was exactly what she did, she is the first British women cyclist to win two golds at one Games.

Within an hour the velodrome awarded the next gold, sadly not in her last race to Vicky Pendleton who had to settle for silver, but for Sir Chris Hoy making him the British Olympian with the most gold medals taking his sixth in the Keirin, despite being passed in the last lap by the German Levy.

* Ok only second best after 58 in London 1908 but things were a little different then in the early days....and no I don't think we can match that number.

Doctor, Doctor I'm too ill to run #London2012

Well here is a note for the IOC and rest....

Except Taoufik Makhoufi of Algeria did not rest for very long as his doctor's note to cover his failure to run more than 200m of the 800m heats yesterday.

Makhoufi well clear and heading for gold

Yet this evening he not only lined up in the 1500m final, but he zoomed down the last back straight was so far in the lead off the last bend that there was no way to catch him.

As I said yesterday he was being punished because of an impossible schedule double up and his national association had entered himn in both, maybe as a back up, but failed to withdraw him from one when it was clear he had done enough in the 1500m.

Of course he wasn't ill. He could not have run the last 400m of that race the way he ended up doing if he were ill. But justice was done and the winner of one of the semi finals was there in the final and came through to win.

Maybe the IAAF should look at the schedule for Rio and ensure that this historic double up is still possible. The semi finals for the 800m had taken place less than an hour before the 1500m was won by Makhoufi.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 6 #London2012

No five day week for the Royal Mail stamp design team as Team GB continue to bring on the Gold rush.

Over at Greenwich Park our show jumping team of Nick Skelton, Scott Brash, Ben Maher and Peter Charles were taken to a jump off by the Dutch team, but they had three clear rounds in  the jump off while the Dutch had three fences down between two riders so they couldn't discard both.

The gold paint will be out for post boxes in Peebles (Scott Brash), Alton (Peter Charles),  of Bishops Stortford (Ben Maher) and Alcester (Nick Skelton)

 The second stamp is for someone who already has a share of one. But this one is on his own. Some thought that when he was picked instead of Sir Chris Hoy who was looking to defend three golds from Beijing that they were stopping a legend. But Jason Kenny has he second gold from these Games in individual sprint to go with the team one, his third overall and going with the silver in this event four years ago behind only Hoy. So Bolton will get a second golden post box.

We talked about this team being Team GB's greatest team. Well with six more days of competition they are one short of the target from Beijing with three very good shouts in the cycling tomorrow with Hoy in the Keirin, Victoria Pendeton in the women's sprint and Laura Trott leading the Omnium after day 1.There are also the Brownlees in the triathlon, Robbie Grabenz in the high jump plus the chance of more horsey gold in the Team Dressage. So we are close to nut just equaling Beijing but zooming past that total.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps 5 #London2012

Well no rest for the Royal Mail again today, although with only 2 stamps to produce it has been a little bit of a breather after yesterday's magnificent six.

First up is the man who if he didn't get his own stamp it would be a great shock. But in making history as the most successful Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie with his fourth gold earns his stamp. They often say that you don't have to lead until the final line is in sight. Well this year that is just what Ben did never leading the regatta always chasing Jonas Hogh-Christiansen, until today in the medal race and he took he on head to head and it appears that that is the kind of medal race that Ben relishes and never comes out second in. The village of Restronguet in Cornwall will see their post box turn gold tomorrow in their most famous son's hounour

The other stamp is to celebrate the first winner of a men's singles final match at Wimbledon since 1936. Just 4 weeks after he lost on the same court after being the first British man to make a Wimbledon final he faced the same opponent. This time he won the first set, as well as the second and third against the same opponent. So Andy Murray now has the Olympic Gold part all he needs are the slams for a Golden career slam. Dunblane will have a golden post box.

Will there be more tomorrow? Well we have the track cycling sprints so the chances are high.

Big Ben rules the waves #London2012

The first medal races in the Olympic regatta brought mixed fortunes for team GB boats. First up were Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson who had led the Star class all week.  They just had to beat the crew of Brazil skippered by Robert Scheidt of Brazil (once Ben Ainslie's nemesis from Atlanta and Sydney), without letting the Swedish pair of Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen get too far ahead. In effect even if the Swedes won they could have finished 6th.

The rounded the last mark in gold medal position and forced the Brazilians behind two other boats. The for the final down wind reach they were looking good seemingly in fourth place with a few hundred metres to go and still ahead of the Brazilians. But there was a change in wind advantage in those final metres and the entire fleet around them seemed to surge further more and they ended up in 8th one spot down on the Brazilians, but as the Swedes had indeed won the race they would take gold.

The second medal match of the day saw Ben Ainslie in the Finn going for his fourth gold in sailing which would have been a new Olympic record. But unlike Percy and Simpson and indeed himself in past Olympics he had never led the regatta. He had managed to pull it down to a one place race between himself and the Dane Jonas Hogh-Christensen but he was also awat that if the Dutch sailor Pieter-Jan Postma were to win or come second he could take on Christensen at the back of race one on one.

After chasing Christensen round the committee boat at the start but failing to affect his race Ben got off to racing. After the fourth leg he ended up in second and started to mark the Dane as the Dutch sailor didn't seem to have the position to overhaul him. When they rounded the last mark Postma was in fourth and Ben was marking the Dane at the back of the 10 boat fleet, however the Finnish sailor almost getting in the way. But on the downwind the Dutch sailor was making up places and what must have been a nervy leg for Ainslie, but he had to tack late to be able to get around the bouy and as a result dropped down the fleet.

It meant that Ben had done enough and when he crossed the line he knew he was Olympic Champion once more. With four golds and a silver he has just beaten another Dane, Paul Elvstrøm's record. He also said in his interview afterwards while still on the water that it was unlikely that we would see him again in Rio in four years time, because the atmosphere here in a home Games would be hard to beat and it had been a tough week. But what a way to bow out of Olympic competition. Maybe now he will find a way to focus on America's Cup or other competition.