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 For The Olympic Tennis
Out of curiosity, I looked up the Swiss performance in the 2008 Olympics. I found this informing report on the Swiss in the 2008 and 2004 games, where they got 6 and 5 medals respectively. The report is both ambitious and optimistic and I suspect that Roger Federer is looking to improve on the doubles gold he got in Beijing. After all, he will be carrying the Swiss flag in the opening ceremony, but he hasn’t won an Olympic gold in the singles.
So Federer must start favourite on his favourite surface. He will also be carrying a lot of the weight of the Swiss nation, to get a medal.
So who will meet him in the final?
Has Marray Taken The Pressure Off Murray?
1936 was the last year we won either of the Mens Singles or Mens Doubles titles at Wimbledon.
Now that Jonathan Marray with his Danish partner has won the doubles, does this help or hinder Andy Murray?
I wouldn’t know, but it gives him something positive to think about.
It will be interesting to see if we enter Marray in the Olympic Mens Doubles and who he is paired up with. Remember Tim Henman won the silver in the doubles in Atlanta.
The Old Farts Get It Right
Wimbledon has shown that with a bit of planning, you can avoid the problems of the weather. In 1993, they unveiled a plan to create a venue fit for the 21st century. Now nearly twenty years later, they have completed that plan. Here’s a simplified version of the plan from Wikipedia.
Stage one (1994–1997) of the plan was completed for the 1997 championships and involved building in Aorangi Park the new No. 1 Court, a broadcast centre, two extra grass courts and a tunnel under the hill linking Church Road and Somerset Road.
Stage two (1997–2009) involved the removal of the old No. 1 Court complex to make way for the new Millennium Building, providing extensive facilities for the players, press, officials and members, and the extension of the West Stand of the Centre Court with 728 extra seats.
Stage three (2000–2011) has been completed with the construction of an entrance building, club staff housing, museum, bank and ticket office.
A new retractable roof was built in time for the 2009 championships, marking the first time in the tournament’s history that rain did not stop play for a lengthy time on Centre Court.
A new 4000-seat No. 2 Court was built on the site of the old No. 13 Court in time for the 2009 Championships.
A new 2000-seat No. 3 Court was built on the site of the old No. 2 Court and the old No. 3 Court.
It just shows if you take your care at the planning stage and get everyone on your side, you get a better outcome. The only mistake, they seem to have made was underestimate the success of the roof on Centre Court and not put in provision for a roof on No. 1 Court. I suspect though, that engineers are seeing No. 1 Court as their next challenge.
It is interesting to compare Wimbledon’s progress with the dithering the French have been through about expanding or relocating, the venue for the French Open.
Wimbledon have also had the last laugh, in that they will be hosting the tennis at the London Olympics. What odds can I get on a Federer-Murray final? After all one will be hoping to prolong a winning streak and the other will be looking for revenge.
The Great British Stand-By
Around ten this morning I received an e-mail saying that the local party in the square will be held provided the weather is not too bad. If it deteriorates, it will be held in the crypt of the church. How very British to use the church instead.
There is also a rumour going around that if the weather gets worse the Olympics will be held in St. Paul’s cathedral.
Where Is Everybody Training?
The post about the Japanese swimmers got me thinking.
Are there any other unusual combinations? I did find this interactive map in the Guardian.
How about the Barbadian athletes in Crawley?
And the US synchronised swimmers in Dublin. Have they not heard Terry Wogan’s comments on their sport?
The Canadian and Australian gymnasts have gone to Lowestoft. Will they understand the local dialect?
The Bangladeshis have gone to Harrow. It is an easy Tube ride, for the best curries in London at Brick Lane.
The Russian swimmers have gone to Millfield school. I suspect the school is looking to rich Russians to send their kids.
Japanese Swimmers Train In Basildon
On the London BBC News, they showed the Japanese Swimming Team greeting the Olympic Torch Relay in Basildon, where they are training before the Olympics. The story about how they chose Basildon is here on the BBC.
I wonder what the Japanese are making of Basilson and have they worked out the humour behind the Essex Girl jokes. I wonder if Japan has a similar set of jokes about girls from an area of the country!
Passing the Olympic Site
Over a year ago I made a video, which I called from the Match Factory to Eastfield. Yesterday I made another.
It has obviously changed as we get nearer to the Olympics.
The Anonymous Widower 