The Athletes Have Arrived
The Olympic Village is now open and athletes and officials are now arriving and moving into their homes for the duration of the Olympics.
I went twice through Stratford today.
The first time, I took the train DLR from Stratford International to the Emirates Air-Line and the only Olympic person I saw was a lost G4S security guard trying to get to Star Lane station. She was Swedish in her mid-twenties or so. So much for jobs for local people!
In the evening, I walked through the Eastfield shopping centre and there were a few athletes about, buying a few things they’d forgotten.
As I took the Central line back to Bank for a bus home, I started to think what might have been.
C and I liked our sport and especially the equestrian disciplines. We had also planned that we would be retiring to London and whether we would have done so by now, I do not know. But I suspect not, as politicians had made the stud virtually unsaleable.
But I’m here now. And alone!
So in some ways, I’m rather sad, but then there are athletes ready to give that lift that I need, just like Chris Brasher, Chris Chataway, Derek Ibbotson and Bruce Tulloh have in the 1950s. I always had a soft spot for Tulloh, who wasn’t the biggest and often ran barefoot. I’ll rerember seeing his victory in Belgrade that I watched on black and white television as long as I live.
Two Chariots of Fire
I’m off in a minute or so to see the new stage play of Chariots of Fire.
Then hopefully, it’ll be to the cinema to see the newly-re-released film.
What a way to tee-up the Olympics! Sadly alone!
I did run out of time as the play was longer than I thought. So it was either go hungry and rush half-way across London or come home and eat and see the film tomorrow or later in the week.
I chose the latter, especially as that allowed me to have a soaking in my dreadful bath.
Sir Roger Returns
This morning Sir Roger Bannister carried the Olympic flame round the same track in Oxford, where he ran the first mile in under four minutes. There’s a report here from the Oxford Mail. He was also interviewed on BBC Breakfast. They then talked about how Bradley Wiggins demolised the field in the time trial yesterday to take a good lead in the Tour de France. Susanna Reid, one of the presenters, used a classic quote of Sir Roger’s as a link between the two stories.
The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.
Sir Roger is 83 now and seems to be driving himself into the future as he can.
Team GB Chooses Fire
Team GB has announced two captains for the Olympics; Ryan Giggs and Dai Greene.
Both are Welsh and hopefully they’ll be able to put some fire into the teams. Admittedly, the football team has a strong Welsh presence with five members, including two of the three overage members of the team.
The only problem, I can see is it makes it even more urgent to find somewhere to park the dragon.
And Now A Sprinter Arrives From Nowhere!
After the high jumper from Enfield, who nobody had heard of, BBC London has just announced the breakthrough into top class of Adam Gemili from Dartford. He has now run the second fastest time for a European over 100 metres this year as the BBC reports.
If this is only a taster, it’ll be a summer of good surprises.
We Don’t Do High Jumpers Do We?
All the years, I’ve been following athletics, we have had very few high jumpers of note, despite having some good triple and long jumpers in that time.
I suppose there is one notable exception in that Mary Peters jumped herself to gold in the pentathlon in the high jump. I remember that night in 1972 vividly, as she kept clearing height after height, cheered on by a very passionate crowd, who seemed mainly to support her, despite the fact her rivals were a West and an East German. I think at the time it was said, that quite a few squaddies from the British Army of the Rhine were present and they willed her over. A difficult job, as to put it truthfully, she wasn’t built for high-jumping.
We’ve never won gold in the men’s high jump at the Olympics, but there is always a surprise medal in something and perhaps with a bit of luck it could be Robbie Grabraz, as reported here in the Telegraph. After losing his funding, he’s now number one in the world.
Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Akabusi was in his usual great form on the Danny Baker show this morning.
I e-mailed Danny to get him to ask about one of the great unsolved mysteries in athletics.
What did Kriss say to Antonio Pettigrew, to get the American to corpse in the 4 x 400 metres final at the World Championships in Tokyo in 1991?
It probably doesn’t matter now as it’s over twenty years ago and it won’t detract from one of Britain’s best moments at the highest level in athletics.
What Have the London Marathon and the Multi-User Version of Artemis in Common
According to legend and this web site, the London Marathon was planned by Chris Brasher and John Disley in a pub; the Dysart Arms at Richmond.
So what’s different to most great ideas?
The first multi-user version of Artemis, the project management system, was designed by Richard Nobbs and myself in the Gardeners Arms at Stutton.
Harry Drops His Brother and Kate In It!
Prince Harry presented the prizes at the London Marathon today and was asked if he’d ever do it. He said possibly, but he said his brother and Kate were going to do it next year!
Who needs brothers or brothers-in-law like Harry?
Dorothy Tyler Starts the London Marathon
Dorothy Tyler is to start the London Marathon. She is 92, and the only female athlete to win an Olympic medal before and after the Second World War, as she won silver medals in the high jump in Berlin in 1936 and London in 1948.
The 1936 contest was surrounded by Nazi chicanery. It’s all detailed here. Hitler was really pleased that the event was won by the Hungarian,Ibolya Csak, who just happened to be Jewish. The Germans plan of getting a man to enter, spectacularly backfired, when Dora Ratjen came fourth.
The Anonymous Widower 