The UK Paralympians not honoured

Reading the list of honours it appears that every gold medal winner in the Olympics and Paralympics (who wasn't previously honoured) received some sort of reward in the New Years Honours. However, there are five gold medals from three individuals that appear to have gone onrecognised. Yeah the fastest Paralympian Jason Smyth, middle distance runner Michael McKillop and swimmer Bethany Firth have been left off the honours list.

Some people will argue that these people made a personal choice to compete for Team Ireland. But in the case of Bethany, without the Olympic sized pool being ready in Bangor, her nearest and most accessible facilities were in Dublin.

Jason Smyth was asked the question about why he chose Ireland on Channel 4's The Last Leg to which he responded:

"At the time, I had put it out there that is was Britain or Ireland. I gave them the opportunity, whoever was interested. At the time Ireland came back and were going to help and support and were able to help and Britain were just, whatever. Not really that bothered. And just that Ireland were going to look after me made the decision easy, cause I wouldn’t be politically one way or the other."

It is not always a choice that is down to personal circumstances, it is sometimes to the amount of support that the appropriate governing body is able to provide, even than can change depending on personal circumstances. For example a Northern Irish person who goes to higher education in London say is easier to tap into Team GB facilities than someone who stays at home.

Remember when the news broke that these three would get a golden post box.

Royal Mail fail Team GB & NI #London2012

I mean it is not like I have already successfully ordered 25 of these, and received my first batches of them.

But it appears that between gold number 25 and 26-28 we have been cast out of the United Kingdom by the Royal Mail at least...

Uodate: I tired again this morning and this fault appears to be rectified.

Gold at last for Kath #London2012

Always the bridesmaid...

...and then...

Today was the day that Katherine Grainger started in her fourth Olympic rowing final. After six world titles she had never managed to stand in middle of an Olympic podium. Indeed in all three of the last Olympics she has been in the second spot. Silver in the Quadruple Sculls in Sydney 2000, in the Coxless Pairs in Athens 2004 and again in the Quad Sculls in Beijing 2008.

But in the double sculls with the women who will become a pub quiz answer in years to come, Anna Watkins, she had long been tipped to end the drought of British women's gold on Olympic rowing lakes at Eton Dorney. Of course the other day Heather Stanning and Helen Glover took that first away from Kath.

But today on the rowing lake the two of them got off to a start leading from 100m out and never giving the lead away. Reaching the line with half a length advantage over the Australians to finally claim a gold for Kath Grainger.

Elsewhere at Eton Dorney today George Nash and Will Satch in the men's pair like the women's pair before them thought to have been a make up crew took bronze. While a second medal will be heading to Coleraine after these Games as Alan Campbell added to the Team Northern Ireland medal total with a bronze in the mens's single scull.

The women are so far leading the way in the rowing with 2 golds. But with the final day of rowing finals tomorrow we may see some more medals to go with the 2 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze Team GB now have.

Silver for Team NI (plus two from Team GB) #London2012

My grandfather used to row on the Bann for Coleraine Inst. but two other old boys of the same school, Richard and Peter Chambers, today were racing at Eton Dorney for Olympic gold.

In what was the closest race of the Olympic regatta so far the Northern Irish pair along with Rob Williams and Chris Bartley were in a four way tussle with the Danes, Aussies and South Africans.

The Danes had taken the lead early while the other three crews were left somewhat in their wake. But at half way the other three were starting to make inroads into the Danish lead. Australia were second at the 1000m mark.

However as the crew neared the stands and the final 500m both GB&NI and South Africa started to get close to the Danes. Both the other crews continued to make inroads. With 100m to go all three were more or less neck and neck, each pull or reach changing the lead it seemed.

In the end as you can see above the the top four were separated by about half a length while the three medals by a matter of feet. The GB crew had just finished a stroke before the line so were at top speed while the Danes were just starting one it was a difference that earned a slightly higher medal.

While GB may be disappointed about not taking gold, the rainbow nation won their first Olympic gold in rowing with a mixed race crew.

Sadly it also means I won't be trying to contact family in the Coleraine area to send me an envelope with the new gold medal stamp from Coleraine tomorrow.

Wiggold - Gold goes well with yellow #London2012

Wiggo and Froome receiving their medals at Hampton Court

On the last day of the torch relay the flame took a visit to the famous maze at Hampton Court Palace. Today the Palace acquired by Henry VIII saw the return of the King, or at least the Maillot Jaune from France, Le Tour that is.

Out through roads and town that I have cycled along in my time living in that part of the world was the women's and then the men's Time Trials.

All the talk before the start of the men's was about how Brits Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins had come first and second in the two Time Trials in Le Tour. Tony Martin (GER) the World champion in this discipline had retired after the first of those because of a broken bone in his wrist, and three times World champion Fabian Cancellera (SWI) the defending champion had had a fall at the turn just inside Richmond Gate in the road race on Saturday, after having a broken collar bone in April. There was also some talk about Luis Leon Sanchez.

So how would the Brits do and would those injuries affect the two men who have most recently worn the rainbow jersey in this discipline?

The answer seemed to answer itself out on the road. For Sanchez it was over almost as it began, he broke his chain on the start ramp and then shortly after needed a new rear wheel.

For the other four at the first time trial they were all in contention. Then at the second Froome took the lead only to see it taken by Tony Martin, and less than 80 seconds later it went to Wiggins. Cancellera was outside the medals at that spot. It was a top three that would not change all the way back to Hampton Court.

Wiggins crossed the line looking fresh while Tony Martin sat on the ground looking shattered. But Wiggo only had one concern, he still did not know it he had won or not. When we saw a shot of Cancellera at the Diana Fountain in Bushey Park outside of the time for any medal we knew, but Brad still wanted to know. When Cancellera finally climbed off his bike he was in agony clutching his left shoulder, I still suspect that he may well have broken his collar bone once again on Saturday but was determined to make the start line in defense of his Olympic title.

So in front of Hampton Court as the Union Flag (strangely without the roundel after a W, I and two Gs) was raised by the Gurkhas in honour of Team GBs second gold medal of the Games and day. God Save the Queen was song out just a little more vociferously than the chants of "Wiggo, Wiggo" just before they started to sing.

Wiggins with 4 Golds 2 silver and a bronze is now the Brit with the most medals, at least for now, Sir Chris Hoy may match him within days.

Wiggins is also the first man to win the Tour de France and Olympic gold in the same year!

Golden Girls #London2012

Never in the history of Olympic rowing had a female GB crew won gold....

....until today.

Heather Stanning and Helen Glover were picked out from the Olympic Giants scheme to be potential Olympians for London 2012. Four years ago they had not been anywhere near a boat. Two years ago they were considered to be the reserves for the GB team, but someone decided to put them out in a pair to see how they fared.

They took World Silver and did so again in 2011.

Andy Murray's pic from the men's locker room at Wimbledon

But this morning they took off from the gun and had clear water by the 500m mark over the world champions from New Zealand. By 1500m they had opened up a lead of almost four lengths. Yes the gap started to close over the last 500m but at Olympic venues all over London a cheer went up. From fans and competitors the gold duck has been broken.

The first time British women took gold in the Olympic rowing regatta and Katherine Grainger, three times silver medalist, has yet to come in the double sculls.

Team Northern Ireland #London2012

Of course the Olympics is about Team GB, or is that team Ireland?


You see here in Northern Ireland we are mentioned in the full name of Team GB (ie Great Britain and Northern Ireland) but our local sports stars do appear on two different teams; both GB and Ireland.

It was a dilemma I myself faced when I was a runner. At the tail end of the great period of GB middle distance runners if I remained on the flat I would struggle for a place on team GB, but had a better chance on team Ireland. So that was why I started to concentrate on the 3000m Steeplechase where there was less competition for a GB vest.

But today the Olympic torch makes its only non-Grecian visit outside the UK to Dublin and will have a ceremonial handing over between boxers at the border. So here are the Northern Ireland Olympians who will be going to London 2012.

Sycerika McMahon (Swimming) - Ireland. The Portaferry teenaged managed the qualifying standard in the 100m women's breaststroke in the European Championships last month. She went on to win silver the 50m breaststroke an event not competed for in the Olympics. She is the only Irish women to have made the qualifying standard in that event so will be bound for London. She has also managed Olympic selection standards at four other events and may well feature in some of the others especially if Gráinne Murphy who has qualified for 800m freestyle decides not to go for either of the individual medley, or maybe the 200m freestyle but merely concentrate on the 400m and 800m.

Melanie Nocher (Swimming) - Ireland. 23 years-old from Belfast she has qualified for the women's 200m backstroke. She took bronze in the European 200m backstroke short course championships at the end of last year. Setting a new Irish record in the process. She is also in the mix for having made the standard to be the one swimmer selected for the 200m freestyle with McMahon and Murphy.

Na Liu (Table Tennis) - Great Britain. The 29-year-old has been living in Belfast since 2001 having grown up in the North Eastern Chinese province of Liaoning. Her father who is involved in coaching football was so impressed with Northern Ireland when he brought a youth team over for the annual Milk Cup in Coleraine that he sent his daughter here to learn English. She loved it so much that she stayed getting involved in coaching table tennis at schools and clubs across the province. She gained her UK citizenship in 2008, too late to take part in the Games in Beijing. She ill however be part of the women's team in London.

Paddy Barnes (Boxing) - Ireland. The Belfast born light-flyweight -49kg boxer is no stranger to one Olympic ring. In 2008 he took bronze in the same weight division, having lost out he feels controversially to China's Zou Shiming who had also beaten him in the Quarter Finals of the previous year's World Championships. He has since gone on to European and Commonwealth gold in 2010. But like Barnes both Zou Shiming and silver medalist Mongolia's Pürevdorjiin Serdamba who in 2009 became his nation's first world amateur boxing champion are going to be there in the ring in London. All three are contenders once again. Barnes didn't qualify by getting to the last 8 of last year's worlds because, you guessed it, he came up against Shiming in the last 16.

Michael Conlon (Boxing) - Ireland. Also from Belfast the 20-year-old secured his place while still in his teens at last years World Amateur Championships, in Baku. He reached the quarter finals, something Barnes failed to do, in the flyweight division sealing his place well ahead of the final qualifying tournament last month. He boxes out of St. John's Bosco Club in Belfast meaning that two different boxing clubs will be cheering on their boxers in London.

Alan Campbell (Rowing) - Great Britain. Like the boxer Paddy Barnes Coleraine born Campbell is not a stranger to the Olympics. He was the single sculler who made it to the finals in the Beijing Games in 2008. He has since medalled in three World Championships, silver in 2009 and bronze in 2010-11. He is of course the man who qualified the GB boat for that event on home water and should take up the berth when the team is announced. One of his early coaches, Seamus Reynolds, was the one who carried the Olympic Torch on the River Bann in Coleraine in the bow seat of the eight on Monday. Update Alan was indeed selected for the single sculls later on 6 June.

Peter and Richard Chambers (Rowing) - Great Britain. Two more graduates from the Coleraine Institution rowing programme with a real shout at making the GB squad in the light-weight four are the Chambers brothers. Richard, the elder brother, has been part of this crew since before the last Olympics. Having taken world gold in 2007 they were disappointed to only come 5th in Beijing. But after injury in 2009 he came back to help win gold in 2010 and bronze in 2011. He went to Oxford for University, though it was Oxford Brookes and not to win a blue. Young brother Peter is five years younger at 22 and broke into the GB squad last year, taking gold in the Lightweight Mens Pair. He was moved into the quad alongside his brother, Rob Williams and Chris Bartley for this season. He is studying sports science also at Oxford Brookes. Having been part of the squad all year it is likely that both brothers will be named in the boat when the team is finalised. Update both brothers were selected in the boat announced later on 6 June.

Aileen Morrison (Triathlon) - Ireland. Born in Derry but living in Lisburn she is currently ranked 7th on the International Triathlon Union world rankings and as top ranked Irish women she is certain to take up her nations sole spot when the event gets underway in Hyde Park later this summer. When the European Championships were held in Ireland in 2010 she came 5th.

Lisa Kearney (Judo) - Ireland. The Belfast born 22-year-old Judo player became the first Irish Women to automatically qualify for the Olympics when she ended up keeping her top 14 spot after the final qualifying event in April. She had come 5th in a World Cup event in Sofia, Bulgaria earlier in the year. She will take part in the -48kg category. She had been dogged by knee injury during the two year qualifying period so we can only hope she is fit and well when she takes her place on the ExCel London.

James Espey (Sailing) - Ireland. At the world championships in Germany last month, Bangor's own put up a good show to qualify in the Laser class for the Olympic regatta at Weymouth. He became the fourth boat to qualify under the Irish flag, the other three qualified in last years world Championships in Perth. Unfortunately for Espey a black flag at that event had denied Espey an easier time this May. But then again having to fight for that qualification to the last opportunity may only enhance his capabilities when the Olympic fleet first hear the starting gun.

Matt McGovern and Ryan Seaton (Sailing) - Ireland. Two out of the five boats in the Irish fleet that have qualified for the Games come from Northern Ireland. The other boat in the 49er of McGovern and Seaton courtesy of their 10th place finish in the World Championships in Perth last December. The Bangor and Carrickfergus pair (McGovern is like Espey from Ballyholme Yacht Club) came together in 2009 after McGovern failed to qualify for 2008 with his brother Russell. McGovern is 2 years older at 24.

Hannah Craig (Canoeing) - Ireland. Motorcycle mad village Armoy may turn their attention away from road racing to look at 29-year-old home town girl Hannah take on the rapids in the canoe slalom. Hannah was the highest placed boat of a country not yet qualified for the Olympics at last month's European Championships and so will compete in the K1 boat at the Lee Valley White Water Centre. She came 13th the the World Championships in 2010 which is the best ever by an Irish paddler. She is based in Dublin where she runs her own clothing company which has helped to finance her Olympic dream having just missed out on Beijing.

Martyn Irvine (Cycling) - Ireland. The Newtownards born cyclist has qualified for the multi-event Omnium. He has been Irish Champion on both the road and track in recent years and came 7th in the recent World Championships in Melbourne, securing his place in London. He shows the dichotomy of Northern Irish sportspeople having already taken part in the Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland in Delhi, 2010, earning Northern Ireland bronze in the team pursuit. Today just happens to be his 27th birthday.

Wendy Houvenaghel (Cycling) - Great Britain. The woman from Upperlands, near Maghera (pictured on the extreme left) is at 37 the oldest Northern Irish Olympian at these games. But she is also the returnee with the best medal to date. She took silver behind Victoria Pendleton in the individual pursuit in Beijing. However, in what will be her last attempt to secure Olympic gold she will be teaming up with Laura Trott and Danielle King (whose combined age is only 4 years more than Wendy's) hoping to secure team pursuit gold. Considering that GB with Wendy in the team took gold in the World Champs in 2008, 2008 and 2011 with silver in 2010.

Mark Gleghorne (Hockey) - Great Britain. In 2008 Gleghorne from Antrim was trying to get Ireland to qualify, indeed he did a fine job being Ireland's top scorer, and indeed for his qualification tournament, with 9 goals. Though maybe one or two more may have got them into the play-off for that spot. However since 2011 he has been part of the GB set up earning 10 caps. The 27-year-old plays for East Grinstead and his hoping to make his Olympic Debut having switched between his possible allegiances between Games. Gleghorne didn't play in the test event in May

Iain Lewers (Hockey) - Great Britain. The Belfast born defender is a year older than Gleghorne and was part of the 18 man team in the test event last month. Like Gleghorne in the run up to 2008 Games he played for Ireland before ruling himself out to seek possible future selection for GB. He was the first of the two to declare he was switching. However, both men are still awaiting the final announcement of the 16 selected plus the 4 reserves for the Games.



These are all the currently qualified Northern Irish Olympians there may yet be more. But as you can see some of them do have an interesting time in deciding who to represent and for some it hasn't been straightforward.

Team GB (and NI) kit revelaed

So the Stella McCartney designed Olympic kits have been unveiled today.

They have to be special, they have to be different, they have link to what GB&NI  is all about. But most of all they have to be fit for purpose for the various athletes in their disciplines.

From what we have heard today by the various athletes and Stella herself that was the prime factor behind the design as far as shape, material and form of the various elements go. Discussions were held with the various sports about what was required as far as that was concerned. Some sports like swimming actually have regulations about what is allowed in terms of material.

So it comes down to design. Some people are complaining that Stella's design removed the red from the flag. But there is more red in her designs that in 2008 (right). Which was a very simplistic use of blue and white with red highlights.

However, athletics and cycling currently both use the Union flag in different ways in basing their current international colours. They do use the colours in all their correct details. So how could Stella incorporate flag without giving more of a hint to one sport than another. Simple, she went for a stylised monocolour, multitone version of it. Something that has been done before.

It brings an abstract yet recognisable version of our flag. But it is also something that stands out as special and different for all the sports men and women involved in both the Olympics and Paralympics. There is more red in the kit that there have been probably since the red and blue hoops around the midriff, that s before female runners did away with the midriff section of their kits.

I fell the kit will make a statement in these games. It will be something that ordinary sports fans will want to own a bit off, when replicas go on public sale next month. Therefore for a home games when the idea is for people to really get behind their athletes this is just the right thing to put out there for our team and our country.

At last the Olympics are coming to Northern Ireland

The London 2012 bid promised that the games would be the games of the nation and not just the capital. However, despite many sports facilities in Northern Ireland being ready on being built there had been no team commitment to train in Northern Ireland until today.

Four teams, all aquatic sports, had commited to train in the Republic of Ireland, despite a new Olympic sized pool being developed here in Bangor due to be opened in Spring next year. The teams are the Hungarian and British water polo teams, US synchronised swimming team and the UK Paralympic swimmers. Yes two parts of TeamGB aren't even training in GB&NI despite the team and games supposedly representing the who nation.

However, we will welcome the Australian boxing team to Northern Ireland next year, to use some of the facilities that helped gain 3 golds and 2 silvers at the last Commonwealth Games and topped the table for boxing. They have signed a letter of intent to train here ahead of the games and are the first team to do so. We hope that some others will follow.