As a then 13 year old my love affair with the Kenyan runners stems from Kip Keino destroying Ron Clarke at the Commonwealth Games in 1966 in the 5000m and then Jim Ryun at the Mexico Olympics two years later.
Trying to think of my favourite moment in the Games....difficult as there is so much. There's the Brazilian pole vaulter, our unexpected medals (trampoline, hammer), cycling, tennis....could go on and on, but one thing that does stick out was Rose winning the golf. So full of tension, first one way...then the other, and then the win on the last hole....and Rose is such a nice guy. What are your favourites....I'm sure that I will agree with every one of yours as well.
I've really enjoyed the cycling domination, and I always love seeing Mo Farah win as well, but strangely my favourite moment was Fiji winning the Rugby Sevens to get their first ever Olympic medal. It was such exceptional rugby, it was like they were playing a completely different game to us in the final. I also spent a fair bit of time working in Fiji sixteen years ago (gulp) and you couldn't meet a lovelier people. The fact they've called a bank holiday and the whole country just closed for that moment makes me very happy!
I don't think my alleged "love affair" with Spurs goes back 50 years. It does with Kenyan athletes as they are so graceful. So are the Ethiopians but they came to the fore a decade later so I did not develop the same kind of affection for them.
What has happened to the US sprint machine?Things must be desperate, or the cupboard very bare if their best medal hope in the 100m, 200m for men is the 34 year old Justin Gatlin. They may well have to give him an anti-aging drug to have any hope in the next Olympics. Their 110m hurdlers were an absolute disaster. Having said this, their feminine side is a bit better, and in Dalihah Mohammed they have a fabulous 400m hurdler.
So many to chose from but one of the best was the tiny Kenyan runner, Faith Kipyegon who blitzed the rest of the 1500m runners over the last 400m. Two of the most amusing thus far are seeing the US runner, Ash showing us how not to hurdle in last night's final, and of the course the looks on the faces of Merritt and James in the home straight of the men's 400m final as Van Niekerk set a new world record.
Pity he was not a Jamaican 110m hurdler, because then he might have been reinstalled after complaining.
There have been quite a few comments about the jokey suggestion that Britain mostly does well at sports we can do sitting down...does this mean the paralympics are going to be a walkover (as it were)?
A top Irish Olympic bod, suspected for colluding with touts to sell on tickets for extortionate prices, has been arrested and brought in for questioning by Brazilian officials. Understandably they want to know how he managed that, he'll probably try to get a consultant fee.
Beach volleyball - so the women play in bikinis and the men wear long shorts and vests. The dress code was obviously decided by a man.
Great news, the ceo of the FAI John Delaney is expected to get the gig next and he is destroying irish football so we might see an improvement from top to bottom. I just hope one of his yes men aren't next in line. Would be bad news for our Olympic competitors though
I've just done what I always advise people not to do, which is anticipating the end of good times. On situations you can't control, live for the moment. But I couldn't help anticipating missing the Rio Olympics when it ends next Monday. I remember feeling surprisingly saddened when the London Olympics finished, but I never anticipated the end of them. But, just as it happened 4 years ago, I fear that following football is not going to be a decent substitute for weeks after this is all over.
Just finished watching Brazil v USA. First bit of Beach Volleyball I've watched this time. Really good game. Brazil won and go into the Final to meet Germany.
The style of bikini is rather unflattering, and too small. It does look odd in comparison, the guys in board shorts and t-shirts. It would be interesting to see who get paid more on the circuit. Men's beach volleyball seems to be very low profile.
