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.

Royal Mail Golden Stamps #London2012

As promised the Royal Mail are issue stamps and commemorative First Day Covers for any British Olympian who wins gold at London 2012.

90 Royal Mail vehicles are heading off tonight to over 500 post offices so that the stamps will be on sale by lunchtime tomorrow. Or you can order a First Day Cover stamped with the address of the Olympic Stadium, with a date of issue the day after any win.

So here are the stamps to honour Helen Glover and Heather Stanning

and Bradley Wiggins

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Also in Chorley, Bradley Wiggins home town, Lossiemouth for Heather Stanning and Penzance for Helen Glover the Royal Mail will be painting a post box gold in honour of the occasion.


My order is in for the first two first day covers.

Cyclist killed by Olympic bus #London2012

News just coming in that a 30-year-old cyclist was killed in Newham near the velodrome, hockey stadia and paralympic tennis arena on the edge of the Olympic Park. He was run over by a media bus and vehicles are currently not leaving the Media transport Mall's multi-storey car park.

It is not clear yet whether the cyclist was attending events, a volunteer, a passing member of the public or even an athlete. But sadly any death is such a circumstance is unfortunate.

No doubt more details will become clear once the next of kin have been informed.

My thoughts are with his family at this time. As someone who was knocked off their bike four time while I studied and worked in London I know just how inconsiderate some London drivers are, and how some of them even ignore clear traffic markings.

Update the International Olympic Committee have confirmed that the victim is not an athlete taking part in the Games.

Update 2 After initial reports that nobody had been arrested in conjunction with the death, a mid-60s man has now been arrested and take to an East London police station suspected of causing death by dangerous driving.

Update 3 The cyclist has been named as 28-year-old Daniel Harris who was a web specialist from Ilford who had recently started using his bike to commute to work. He death has led to Bradley Wiggins calling on cycle helmets to be made compulsory, and headphones and use of handheld phones to be illegal while riding.

Not enough time to follow yourself or not #London2012

In the men's 77kg weightlifting there was all sorts of drama at the end of the first snatch phase.

First of all Sa Jaehyouk (KOR) attempting 162kg dislocated his right elbow. The two Chinese Lu Haojie and Lu Xiaojun had yet to lift.

Lu Haojie the younger man came out first to lift 170kg, only 2 kg less than the Olympic record. Lu Xiaojun the official World Record holder of 174kg followed easily too.

Then they lifted to 175kg which Lu Haojie had lifted in the Chinese championships but was not a confirmed as a World record holder. He failed but Lu Xiaojun was successful for a new world record.

The new world record for snatch

He was ready to make an attempt at 177kg, but Lu Haojie had not declared a weight so instead of 2 minutes to follow himself he had only 1 minute to follow Lu Haojie, so was not allowed an attempt to extend his world record and was declared a failure despite him not being allowed out to attempt.

Injured but happy with silver Lu Haojei

The reason that Lu Haojie had not come out was clear during the clean and jerk as he came out well under his normal weight with 190kg in tears and lifted it obviously in pain in an attempt to win a medal. He managed to get two white lights, heaven  knows what would have happened if he had two reds.

In the end Lu Xiaojun won with a combined total of 379kg another new world record (having failed 204kg on his second attempt but getting it on his third) and Lu Haojie did end up taking the silver despite that injury with a total of 360kg.

Ivan Cambar Rodriguez (CUB) found himself in the surprising battle for bronze, which he won  with 349kg from Chatuphum Chinnawong (THA) 348kg  and Ibrahim Ramadan Ibrahim (EGY) 347kg.

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!

Eight kicked from Badminton for not trying to win #london2012

***Breaking News***

The black card threatened but not used in one of the matches

The four pairs accused yesterday of not trying to win to avoid a tougher road to the Semi finals have all been kicked out of the Olympic women's doubles. South Korean pairs Ha Jung-Eun and Kim Min-Jung (the 3rd seeds) and Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na, Indonesian pair Meiliana Juahari and Greysia Polii and the top seeded Chinese pair Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli have all been disqualified.

This will result in some interesting redrawing of the knock out matches as all those involved had qualified.

It all started after the other Chinese pair surprisingly lost their last pool match which meant that the Chinese if they won would have met their compatriots before the final. But the farce of top played constantly serving into the net or wide led to boos from the fans in the ExCeL who had paid good money for their tickets.LOCOG are saying they will not issue refunds on these tickets.

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.