Beijing Olympic Blog.
Some of you might know I've been writing a daily Olympic blog for AOL whilst out in Beijing on BBC duty. For those who don't I've placed them all below on this dedicated page on my website.
When the swimming finished I managed to see a few sites and catch some some athletics in the remarkable Bird's Nest stadium, including the extraordinary moment Usain Bolt thundered through the 100m world record barrier. But now I'm back at home and enjoying the TV and radio coverage like everyone else. It has also given me time to take a step back from the adrenaline rush and whirl that surrounds live broadcasting and Olympic life. I can sit on my settee with a coffee and chocolate biscuit and reflect whilst continuing to enjoy the unfolding events.
And with the benefit of a few days break the achievements and advancements of GB swimming have not faded in the slightest. Quite the opposite in fact. The brilliant swims of Keri-Anne Payne, Cassie Patten and David Davies in the 10km Open Water events have wonderfully underlined the progress we are making. Remember that Keri-Anne, Cassie and David are pool swimmers and they were up against fields largely made up of OW specialists. It was only David's third such race and in truth his inexperience over the last 200m probably cost him a gold, but that is in no way a criticism of what was a 99% superb swim.
As of Friday morning (August 22) swimming accounts for two medals of each colour which places it alongside rowing in GB's table of success. More than 50% of the team recorded Personal Bests and the majority of that team is young enough to be around for at least one more Olympics. The bare facts are all good and encouraging right now...and it is not often we have been able to say that in the past.
Rebecca Adlington's double gold was a staggering achievement. Remember she is only 19 and still has her whole career before her. She has already achieved good things in the pool o an international basis and I thought and predicted she had a medal in her. However she is returning to Mansfield as one of our great Olympians who also smashed the longest standing world record in women's swimming. I can't honestly say I saw that coming!
Jo Jackson, who took her all the way in the 400m before finishing with a terrific bronze must not be forgotten in the wake (excuse the pun) of Becky's exploits. Apart from an Olympic medal of her own, she played a huge part in that 400m swim and setting in motion Becky's historic double gold.
I understand Becky's primary financial ambition in the fallout of her massive success is to secure a contract that will allow her to get free goggles! I think she might have a bit more than that coming her way but it does illustrate what a genuine and down to earth person she is and one who I'm sure will cope with the spotlight and increased profile that is now inevitable – starting with the open top bus ride around her home town.
Of course the Olympic feelgood factor and euphoria will die down over coming weeks and give way to blanket media coverage of football, but please don't forget these last few days in the waters of Beijing as they point to a very exciting future. We will be in Rome for the Swimming World Championships next summer so that will be the next opportunity to see team GB in action and monitor our progress - don't miss it!
Across the board we are looking at an Olympic performance more successful than even the most brazen optimists had predicted. As I write this Dr. Tim Brabants has just picked up gold in the 1000m flat water canoeing. This greatest prize of all adds to his World and European crowns...yet had you heard of him before this week? Probably not, and that is the beauty of the games. They expose the hard work, skill, talent and personality of people who achieve excellence in elite pursuits but live their lives in the sporting shadows. Fame, notoriety and riches have nothing to do with it for them, but once every four years the nation and indeed the world sits up and recognises them for the great competitors they are.
And the adjective 'excellent' can most easily be bolted to the verb 'cycling'. What GB's cycling team did was incredible. It has never been remotely approached before and may never be again...unless by the same squad and those on the fringes of it. There is no need to wax lyrical about what went on in the velodrome and the roads (Nicole Cooke and Emma Pooley), it was plain for all to see. We won four times as many medals as the next most successful nation. I have no idea when that kind of disparity existed in any Olympic discipline.
The athletes are exceptional of course, impressive people with a towering work ethic and immense talent. But the support systems and coaching structure is now the envy of the world. For once we are not playing catch up and looking abroad, we are setting the standards for others to follow.
Rowing once again delivered a healthy quota of medals which is something we have almost come to expect with the legacy of Sirs Redgrave and Pinsent. We shouldn't be complacent though and our rowers train morning noon and night for years on end to sustain our success on the water. As with the cycling the coaching is first class the mind-sets are spot on and we look to have the strength in depth to carry out success well into London 2012. The same applies to sailing where we are still the nation to chase.
The farcical situation with boxer Frankie Gavin - our only predicted boxing gold medalist who was sent home for failing to make the weight – is now a distant memory thanks to the efforts of James DeGale who won middleweight gold. It certainly wasn't a pretty final against the Cuban, but who cares?! And Tony Jefferies and David Price fought their way to bronze medals. And still on the combat sport front we have a prodigiously talented young Taekwondo exponent in 17-year-old Aaron Cooke came within a whisker of bronze and Sarah Stevenson who - after all kinds of judging ineptitude and behind the scenes machinations - kept her composure to win a valiant bronze medal.
The successes are all around us and all manner of people have stepped up and in some cases exceeded expectation. Christine Ohuruogu's gold was utterly thrilling but Tasha Danvers' bronze was equally uplifting in its own way. Whilst Christine was expected to do well and run for the medals Tasha, who missed Athens to have a baby, was quite lucky to be there at all after a relatively poor year and losing in the Olympic preliminaries. She is now 30 and has been a great servant to UK athletics, her medal was very much deserved.
In track and field there were ups and downs. Baton change foul ups in mens and women's relays might have cost medals and there were some near misses: Goldie Sayers 4th in javelin, Lisa Dobrisky 4th in 1500m, 4th in Men's 4x400 and 5th in Women's 4x400. I know close does not win medals, but close is nevertheless reason for optimism and something firm on which to build.
Praise and encouragement must go to our diving girls Tonia Couch and Stacie Powell too. Both are very young, inexperienced at this level and had done well just to make the Olympics at all. Both fought through the rounds to make the final and both finished inside the top 10 - another superb brace of performances from competitors who have so much more to come. And of course Tom Daley belied his 14 years to seem very comfortable with the whole Olympic experience and come a superb 7th in his final. These are talents that will be fully blossoming in four years time.
As of Friday morning we are already breaking medal tally expectations and records and, without wishing to be negative, it is worth considering what might have been: Jessica Ennis and Zara Phillips didn't make it to Beijing, Paula Radcliffe was unfit, Kelly Sotherton failed to medal, Shanaze Reade crashed, Frankie Gavin was sent home, Beth Tweddle was squeezed into 4th, Judo had a disaster, men's 4 x 100m messed up the final baton change, the women's team bungled their changeover - both looked good for a medal. Sport is of course made up of “what ifs”, but I only point this out to illustrate how great our potential actually is.
So why now? How have our sporting fortunes swung around since Atlanta where we came home with a single gold medal? There are many factors of course: the right people in the right places, talent being spotted and harnessed, desire, determination and belief of individual sportspeople, the dedication and skill of coaches, opportunities for youngsters, facilities...the list goes on. One inescapable fact is money. Without it coaches can't be employed, facilities won't exist, equipment won't be available, medical support will not be in place, initiatives to attract participants will be ineffective and athletes will not be able to devote the time necessary to achieve global excellence.
Lottery funding is now having an effect. It was never going to be instantaneous but the impact is now being felt. Most people know all about the lottery and millions play it every week, however the SportsAid Foundation is probably less familiar to you but gives 1500 grants per year its work is invaluable. I am delighted to be a Patron.
The Foundation doesn't deal in the big Lottery numbers but provides £400 here and £600 there which can make a huge difference to those making their way in sport. A quick look at our medal table as of Thursday August 21st proves this - 24 of the 36 medals won have been achieved by SportsAid athletes including the likes of Chris Hoy, Becky Adlington and Ben Ainslie. For more information on this body please go to www.sportsaid.org.uk.
Well I've come to the end and haven't mentioned Michael Phelps! He has already occupied a few thousand words of my AOL blog and for good reason, he is an phenomenon. What he did was something like a track athlete winning golds in the 200, 400, 800, 1500, 4x100 relay, 4x400m relay, long jump and discuss and setting world records in seven of them. Sounds preposterous doesn't it?!
I'm off to London on Sunday and will be involved in the Olympic Handover Party in The Mall. That will be a lot of fun and I think an interview is planned for me with Michael Phelps which will perfectly conclude for me and us as a nation what has been a truly wonderful Olympic Games. Roll on London 2012!
Phelps team mate Katie Hoff could rack up 5 individual golds of her own, while belle of the USA team Natalie Coughlin comes in as defending champion and world record holder in the 100 backstroke. She is also taking a tilt at the 100 free and 200 IM. The extraordinary Dara Torres is back in the team and competing strongly at the age of 41! She has a busy life away from the water with US TV commitments and children yet here she is aiming for gold in the 50 sprint...amazing. Makes our own Mark Foster - 38 and competing in his 5th Olympics - seem like a new boy!
Grant Hackett and Pieter Van Den Hoogenband are going for their third consecutive golds in the 1500 and 100 F/C respectively. Peter's event comes first but the real performance fireworks could come from Grant who is on great form having set a new world record in the 800 earlier this year, incredible considering the training yardage he has put in over the years - about 100,000m! He can suffer from breathing problems though and as a kid his father had to tile his bedroom to alleviate his dust allergy. Aussies Libby Trickett (better known to many as Lenton) and Leisel Jones are high class performers an are certain to feature strongly.
Britain has a genuine chance of four or five medals if you include open water which is featuring for the first time and is an exciting addition to the programme. Expect the USA and Aussie anthems to dominate podium presentations but we could be in for renditions of the French, Italian, German, Dutch and even Zimbabwean (keep an eye out for Kirsty Coventry) anthems too.
GB women's 4x200 relay team should fare well and will fight hard for a bronze or even silver behind the US. However people can make mistakes in relays and the outcomes are never a sure thing. I believe the GB team will make the finals of all the relay events and once there anything can happen. Our own David Davies is going in both the 10k open water (he was second in the recent World Open Water Champs) and 1500m in which he won bronze four years ago. Cassie Patten also performed well in the World Open Water event and her main rival will be the undefeated Russian Larisa IIchenko. Becky Adlington goes to the games ranked No.1 in 800m Freestyle while Liam Tancock is also in form having set a world record this year in the 50 backstroke. Liam is a seasoned campaigner who won't be intimidated by the presence of the powerful Americans, including Phelps, in the 100m and 200m IM. James Goddard is another Brit to look out for in the 200IM. Chris Cook has become the first British man under 1.00 for the 100m breaststroke and could do very well on such form.
Hannah Miley, who turns 19 on the day of the opening ceremony, has improved greatly this year and is coming off a very successful World Short Course event. Her best chance will come in my old event the 400IM. And like me she is coached by her very dedicated father. Kris Gilchrist is a fighter and so is fellow Scot Kirsty Balfour. Both are fine breaststrokers who share the same coach and have plenty of big event experience.
I think the GB team is an exciting one with a blend of young and old, youth and experience. And Performance Director Michael Scott brings a greater sense of calm and enjoyment to the the team than has been the case in the recent past. Mark Foster has reported back to me from the training camp that all is going well (although he has asked me to turn up with a supply of Cadbury's Dairy Milk!). Mark broke the British record this year in the 50m and, if he makes the final, could pick up a medal. I truly hope he does, he has been on the podium in all the other major meets and an Olympic medal would be just reward for a great British sportsman.
Whilst I don't think we should expect too much I do believe we'll make a few finals and a number of personal best and British records could be achieved, but we might end up just outside the medals more often than not. Youngsters like Jemma Lowe, Fran Halsall and Ellen Gandy will benefit from an experience that will set them in good stead for London 2012. As will diver Tom Daley who has done wonderfully to reach the games as a 14-year-old. I was 13 when I made my first Olympics and he should simply concentrate on enjoying the experience and perhaps making the final. We took a good silver in the synchronised diving four years ago and Tom and his partner Blake Aldridge could do something similar in the platform synchro' event.
American Jessica Hardy won't be in attendance despite qualifying for the 100m breaststroke, 50m freestyle and 400m freestyle relay. Tests showed anabolic agent clenbuterol in her system. This is not the kind of news any of us wants around the swimming pool and hope we hear of no further similar stories. And no doubt there'll be controversy around the Speedo LZR swimsuit. Forty four of the 48 world records broken this year have been in the swimsuit and there is much debate around whether it aids buoyancy which is against the rules. The water cube as it's called could become an iconic image of this games along with the extraordinary birds next stadium. Roll on 08-08-08...perhaps there's some lucky symmetry in that for us. GB's last swimming gold was in Seoul 1988, also in Asia. A good omen perhaps?
He gave a series of press interviews yesterday and expressed his pride in being asked to take up the flag. I can tell you now those were not polite and empty words and sentiments, he really is tremendously proud and honoured. Lets just hope it heralds more good news for Mark personally, his swimming colleagues and the whole of Team GB. However, friends or not, I will not be relinquishing the Dairy Milk until he has finished competing!
On a less upbeat note we discovered on Thursday that boxer Frankie Gavin has gone home. I know this is hardly swimming but I do like my boxing so please indulge me for a moment. Gavin - the current World Amateur Lightweight Champion - is a brilliant boxer and authentic gold medal prospect who had already beaten every other fighter in his class. Not being able to make the weight seems so fundamental, it's like a swimmer not turning up with a swimsuit...you just can't do it. He's had months of attention from the best coaches, physiologists and nutritionists available and they have apparently combined to ensure he won't make the 9st 6lbs mark. It seems absurd and I know my BBC colleague Richie Woodhall, an Olympic bronze medallist and former World Champion, is aghast and has spoken out about it.
My first impressions of Beijing are very positive. There is a real buzz here and the people seem genuinely excited about what is to unfold around them. Security is heavy and a sad fact of modern life. There are soldiers are everywhere - but they seem quite friendly and not too intimidating (though I certainly wouldn't like to test their patience!). The smog issue will not go away and news images of American athletes arriving wearing masks (have they been to LA?) has sustained the chatter over this issue. I gather colossal efforts have been made to radically reduce smog and pollution and general opinion is that they have succeeded. Right now it seems OK to me but I'm glad I wasn't hear prior to the air clearing efforts.
The facilities are just as extraordinary as you'd expect from this country of increasing wealth and economic stature. It's all very hi-tech, stylish, functional and practical and the athletes love their village. I've had a good look around and been impressed at every turn. The swimming arena is magnificent. It is huge and looks stunning at night as it changes colour. Most importantly it will be a wonderful venue to compete in and spectate and thankfully our broadcast position is excellent too. Talk is that it will be a fast pool so we should enjoy some amazing times and the sporting history books could be in for a bit of re-writing.
Wednesday night involved a wonderful dinner for the BBC at the British Embassy. Now that is over the business of preparing to broadcast to millions of sports fans worldwide is fully underway. Personally speaking I can't wait. As a former Olympic athlete it is a complete pleasure to remain so close to events...and you don't get much closer than poolside!
Obviously there is no competition to talk about just yet but I can tell you that feeling in the GB camp is upbeat and eager. My only personal disappointment has been on a technological front. Now I'm not particularly fussed about the latest gadgets and bits of wizardry, but I did buy an iPhone on their day of release. I did so purely to make emailing and web browsing so much easier while I'm out here and to negate the use of a cumbersome laptop. Unfortunately my rare foray to the front of the technological queue has proved fruitless as access is proving seriously elusive...
09/08/08
I know opening ceremonies are not universally popular but I always find them moving. It brings about a coming together of humanity like no other event on earth. Strife torn nations that know little more than war, political turbulence and fractured economies are here sharing the world's biggest stage with the biggest nations. Countries riven with trouble are represented by athletes carrying the flag, smiling and bursting with pride whilst being cheered by the rest of the sports loving world. The roar of welcome that greeted the Iraq team spoke louder than any politician or diplomat could.
The outfits were a mixture of the stylish to the stunning national dress of various countries. And as ever the air stewards and ice cream seller look-a-likes were well represented. But Australia amazed me most. For a country whose time-honoured sporting colours are yellow/gold and green, and who always look so good on such occasions, turned up in blue and silver shellsuits. Perhaps their real outfits had gone missing and they'd borrowed a job lot of trackies from a local college?
What a great occasion though and the Chinese did an incredible job of choreography and production. Muhammad Ali in Atlanta must be the most emotional torch lighting moment, but Beijing has probably given us the most spectacular so far. We need to go some in 2012 to top it, but don't bet against us!
Elsewhere the fallout from the Frankie Gavin fiasco continued. It is claimed that because he has had the best possible training and experts available (and £70,000 worth of funded backing) he has trained like a pro for the first time. Subsequently he has become bigger and stronger and unable to make his weight class. I don't want to sound too simplistic and logical here, but why not continue to let him train like an amateur for the last six months? It had already made him the best in the world.
Friday involved final technical checks in preparation for going to air. All went well and the opening ceremony coverage and highlights show all passed off very nicely. Today was the real deal for me at the poolside and more importantly the swimmers. I know when I said to expect something special from Michael Phelps it wasn't the bravest prediction, but in his remarkable quest for eight golds he opened his account today with an Olympic record in the 400m IM. I said on air that he made it look so easy he only needed a bar of soap and he could have just been having a wash!
From Team GB's point of view it was a day that supported my previous assertion that we have good swimmers who will do good things but don't expect too much this time. David Carry's performance in the 400m summed this up. He swam superbly to shave two tenths off his best, set a new British record and came 5th in his heat. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to make the final on this occasion. Special mention must go to Hannah Miley (and Happy Birthday!) who finished second in her 400m IM heat behind the prodigious Katie Hoff. In so doing she became only the sixth British woman to make an individual Olympic swimming final in 20 years. Good luck on Sunday Hannah! Our 4x100m girls (Fran Halsall. Julia Beckett, Melanie Marshall, Caitlin McClatchey) set a new British record of 3:39.18 and made it through to their final. And Jemma Lowe will compete in the 100m butterfly final thanks to a fourth place in her heat.
Chris Cook fought through to Sunday's 100 breaststroke semi's but Kris Gilchrist will be very disappointed to be going no further. Today was a mixed bag and there will be some feelings of disappointment and sadness, however there were also the solid performances I always thought possible from within this squad and I believe there will be more to come. Regardless of results the attitude of the team remains good. Talking to them immediately after their events might not always be a total pleasure for them but it does give something of an insight into their character and I continue to be impressed.
Elsewhere Grant Hackett seeks to move out from Ian Thorpe's mighty shadow. Hackett is a supreme swimmer in his own right but the Aussie did not seem to have it all his own way in the 400m freestyle. He won his heat thanks to a blistering last 50m but qualified only fifth fastest for the final. I can see him stepping up a gear or two yet. I would not be surprised if a couple of world records tumble on Sunday - both could come over 400m. Phelps and fellow American Ryan Lochte have a good chance while Stephanie Rice and Katie Hoff could well set new standards for the women.
Away from the pool and studio my Beijing experience continues to be a pleasure. The facilities are still astounding me and the people are so very friendly. Unfortunately it has become evident the city's taxi drivers haven't brushed up on their English in preparation for our arrival which, combined with their apparent lack of knowledge of new roads and security gates, has made for some lengthy and confusing journeys so far! Therefore walking seems to be the best method of propulsion which is fine (time allowing) as it ensures a better feel of the city and a chance to meet its people.
I have just had a very enjoyable night out with fellow broadcasters Steve Cram, Chris Boardman and Adrian Chiles and we had the pleasure of the Vice Ambassadors company. But probably my most sadistically amusing moment so far has been seeing my fellow swimmer and BBC man Adrian Moorhouse order what turned out to be a plate crickets and grubs!
That's more like it...what a day! If yesterday was something of a mixed bag of encouraging performances and disappointments, today was an almost relentless parade of qualifications, personal bests and British and Commonwealth records. All but one of our swimmers progressed through Sunday's heats into their respective semi's and finals. And the only one who missed out did so by 1/100th of a second.
This was the kind of day I believed we could produce. Full of battling performances, new individual standards and swimming right up there with the very best in the world. Of course this doesn't mean there's a treasure chest of gold medals coming our way but it does show that we are pointing in the right direction, improving and have a young team that is set to do very impressive things over the next few years.
Most excitingly perhaps is Monday's women's 400m final for which Rebecca Adlington and Jo Jackson qualified brilliantly - 2nd and 4th fastest respectively. Interestingly Rebecca is predominantly an 800m exponent and Jo's primary event is the 200m, so both have broadened their disciplines and met in the middle. And what a great move it has proved to be. Jo shaved 1.5 seconds off her PB with a time of 4:03.80 and Rebecca Adlington matched the brilliant Italian world record holder Pellegrini stroke for stroke, finishing only five 100ths of a second behind in a new Commonwealth record. Her achievement was heightened further by the general feeling that Pellegrini had set out to break the world record and didn't fall too far short.
In the same event it'll be worth seeing what reigning Olympic Champion Laure Manaudou of France does. She just squeezed into the final as 8th fastest and will be swimming in the outside lane. She is capable of doing brilliant and slightly mad things so you never know quite what you are going to get. However if Rebecca and Jo swim to their capabilities and continue to show such technique, strength and temperament at this level we could see the end of a 24 year wait for a women's Olympic medal in the pool. I have a feeling that because Rebecca has moved down from the 800m this could give her the edge in closing speed but I honestly believe both girls could medal.
Hannah Miley's 400m IM final was odd in some respects. Only just 19 years old Hannah came sixth in an Olympic final in which both first and second place swimmers beat the previous world record. This suggests a terrific swim from Hannah and in many respects it was. However she was over four seconds off her personal best (which would have got her into 4th place) and that suggests something of an under performance. This would seem churlish though and her disappointed but optimistic reaction suggests a balanced, wise and determined head on young shoulders. She is still new to major competition, trains in a small pool in Scotland, yet she is already taking her place amongst some of the world's best swimmers. Hannah is another member of Team GB who is shaping up for a wonderful competitive future.
Sticking with the women Gemma Spofforth was fourth fastest qualifier the 100m backstroke in 60.11, while Lizzie Simmonds also reached the semi with a personal best of 60.35. Kate Haywood and Kirsty Balfour made it through to the 100m breaststroke semi's and are capable of further strong swims and progressing in the event. The highlight for GB's men must have been the stunning 4x100m relay in which they scythed five seconds off the previous British record – stunning from a team that nearly wasn't entered for the competition at all. Simon Burnett, who has been considering whether to continue swimming at all, led off with a stunning first leg in a national record of 48.20. I hope this encourages Simon to stick with life in the pool a little longer.
GB's Liam Tancock, world record holder in the 50m backstroke, progressed to the 100m backstroke semi-finals where he'll be joined by teammate Gregor Tate. Liam qualified 6th fastest which may not sound too impressive until you realise there was only one second separating the 16 qualifiers. Liam is another whose best will see him contend for a podium position.
For those of you who read my blog yesterday you might remember I predicted world records in both the men's and women's 400 IM. Thankfully Michael Phelps and Aussie Stephanie Rice proved me to be very perceptive! Both swam brilliantly. Rice's achievement in 4:29.45 meant that Katie Hoff's much vaunted quest for a full house of five golds was derailed immediately. In fact Hoff was relegated to third behind the very talented Kirsty Coventry. Despite this setback I still wouldn't better against Hoff scooping the other four golds available to her.
And speaking of Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry (another tip of mine before the Games began), she won her 100m backstroke heat and beat world record holder Natalie Coughlin (USA) into second place. I don't know how many golds Zimbabwe can reasonably hope for in the Games as a whole - if any - but Kirsty could well take one home.
Where I did get it wrong was in expecting more from Australia's Grant Hackett. I wrote yesterday that he hadn't looked at the top of his game in qualifying for the final but I honestly believed there was more to come. This didn't turn out to be the case as he trailed in well down the field in the 400m freestyle.
Much has been made about the Speedo LZR swimsuits and maybe they are helping take swimming performance to new levels. All evidence suggests this is the case and I'm not sure why it is a bad thing. The athletes train better, eat better and perform better than ever before too so it's no surprise records are tumbling. The general feeling amongst swimmers is very positive and the USA team as said they believe it could help add 2% to performance which, at elite sports level, is huge.
On the broadcasting side all is going very well. I gather there were minor hitches in some broadcasting feeds as a result of the tremendous storms today, but we were unaffected from the swimming Cube. Though the noise of the rain was extraordinary inside. Today I switched from the evening highlights show to do the Olympic Breakfast Show with Hazel Irvine and Adrian Chiles – two tremendous presenters who are always a pleasure to work with.
If anybody has any Olympic related thoughts or opinions please don't hesitate to text or email through the BBC website (
www.bbc.co.uk) and get in touch with us.I can't conclude without adding my congratulations to road cyclist Nicole Cooke who took a superb Gold for GB in some of the wettest conditions she and her fellow competitors have probably ever raced in.
I'd like to finish by adding something I said yesterday about the Games bringing people and nations together like no other event. On Sunday morning a Russian took silver in a women's 10m air pistol event and a Georgian came third. Against the horrifying backdrop of war that has broken out between the two countries over South Ossetia what happened next was truly moving. The Georgian lady joined the Russian on her level of the podium during the medal ceremony. They liked arms and hugged. The Chinese gold medallist was effectively brushed aside and looked to have no problem in giving way to an image and statement I hope is seen around the world. Footage can be seen at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/shooting/7552122.stm.
11/08/08
August 11th 2008 Olympic Women's 400m freestyle final. Gold - Rebecca Adlington, GB. Bronze - Jo Jackson, GB. The sporting record books will forever show that this was a great moment for British swimming and a glorious moment for two wonderful young swimmers.
Sadly the same books will not record that a certain Sharron Davies predicted two medals the day before the final. Pity!
Much will be said and written about this result and the girls lives, particularly Becky's, will never quite be the same again. And all the good and the benefits that come their way will be fully deserved. To swim up to and perhaps beyond perceived potential on the very biggest stage at the biggest moment of their competitive lives is a monumental feat. Perhaps more so when you consider the field included: the world record holder, the reigning world champion and the darling of USA swimming who was tipped for a clean sweep of gold medals.
In the end Italy's world record holder Pelligrini couldn't live with the pace. She seemed to go as hard as she could in yesterday's heat and finished only a whisker ahead of Adlington. It seemed to be enough to cause a re-think and different game plan - ironically one that ended up suiting both Becky and Jo. Reigning World Champion Manaudou of France blew herself out as she is prone to doing and America's Katie Hoff missed out on another gold and came in second. The British girls swam side by side and executed a superb race. All keen swimmers out there note that Becky swam hard every last inch of the way. She literally won in those last few inches when Hoff appeared to relax a split second before touching. That 7/100ths of a second was the difference between Becky's glory and Hoff's despair.
And as I mentioned previously this is a new discipline for Becky and Jo. Until now they have been more at home in the 800m and 200m respectively which are still to come.....watch this space.
And if that emotional rush and adrenalin charge wasn't enough, there was one of the greatest races I have ever seen – the Men's 4x100m relay. The background to this was startling enough anyway. USA's 'B team' which swam the heat smashed the world record (as did the Aussies who came second) and then duly gave way to the 'A team' today. Michael Phelps led off in a discipline he doesn't like and doesn't swim as an individual event – facts that didn't stop him clocking the third fastest time in history. The man really is half fish!
However that and two further strong swims were not enough to place US first. At the last change-over they were trailing the powerful French team by most of a body length. And bringing it home for the French was the current world record holder Alain Bernard. With 20 metres to go it seemed the Phelps target of eight gold medals would have to fall one short. Remarkably and against all the odds Jason Lezak found just enough in the dying stroke to touch first. The record is still on!
Elsewhere GB swimmers continued to enjoy progress. Including Robbie Renwick who we didn't expect to see today at all. I mentioned in the last blog that only one of our team had missed out on qualification (by 1/100th of a second). Well Robbie Renwick didn't miss out after all. A withdrawal from the 200m freestyle handed him a semi-final spot and he promptly took full advantage by qualifying for the final. Another example of superb character and determination. He will now have the experience of contending in a Michael Phelps final.
Liam Tancock will be competing in the Men's 100m backstroke and, though the result might already be in by the time you read this, I shall go out on a limb and say the winner will be one of eight! That might sound like I've parked myself firmly on the fence, but could well be a blanket finish and simply too close to call. All of which means my fellow Devonian will be right in the mix. Gemma Spofforth continues to look good and made it through to the 100m backstroke final. Hannah Miley looked happier with herself today after a solid qualifying effort in the 200m IM. Unfortunately Kirsty Balfour and Kate Haywood will not be going beyond their 100m breaststroke semi-finals. Despite this it should be noted that all our swimmers made it through to at least a semi-final which is a very healthy state of affairs.
In a single race today GB eclipsed its medal haul in Athens and there could and should be more to come. I've been saying for some time that we have a team of swimmers who are shaping into something exciting and impressive. I have said it may be too soon to expect too much but all indications are that it might not be long before we can pull out a chair at swimming's high table.
GB Swimming Director Michael Scott deserves huge credit for fostering such a unified and positive atmosphere within the team and throughout its support staff. His predecessor Bill Sweetenham was someone I was reasonably outspoken about and much was carried in the press. I stand by the fact that he desperately lacked man management skills and was often a divisive influence rather that a cohesive one. However credit where it is due - he came in and gave GB swimming a serious kick up the backside and put processes, systems and facilities in place that have contributed to the strides our swimmers are making.
I genuinely care so much about our swimmers and their performances and on days like today find it hard to keep my emotions in check. It's a constant struggle to get myself straight for interviews and pieces to camera in the wake of such great performances. You don't get to see the hugging and all the whooping and hollering but I can promise you it happens!
I went along to watch young Tom Daley and synchro' partner Blake Aldridge in their diving final. They came eighth but there was much to take from the experience and the performance. I spoke to both afterwards and they agreed that their synchro' was top notch but they were let down by entry into the water on a few occasions. It must be remembered that they are already world class but are here for the experience and to build towards greater glories in coming years. Tom has had an incredible amount of attention here in this diving mad country and has coped like an old timer...in fact better than some old timers!
Another day, another gold medal and world record for the amazing Michael Phelps. In fact since I last wrote this blog he has added the small matter of three gold medals each one complete with world record. At the time of writing this he has a career haul of 11 Olympic golds - two more than anyone else in the history of the modern games. And he has three more to compete for over the next few days. The scary thing to consider is that he has already pledged to compete in London in four years time (he's only 23 after all), by which time he could conceivably end up with twice as many golds as the next greatest Olympians. Just astonishing.
The superlatives are beginning to run out and it won't be long before we have to invent new words to describe what this man is doing in swimming. Physically it is as if he has been genetically designed from birth to swim. His lung capacity is twice that of the average man, his arm span is greater than his height and his 6ft 3 frame actually has the body length of a 6ft 8 man - all of these attributes are perfect for swimming (I had the same benefit. At 5ft 11 Im taller than my 6ft.1 husband when sitting down). However they count for nothing without the bottomless determination, application, drive and exemplary technique of an extraordinary champion.
In a sense his 'easiest' gold may have also been his hardest. It is generally believed that he owns the 200m butterfly and anything les than a stellar performance will be seen as a slip up. There were to be no slip ups though and he powered his way to victory in a world record time of 1:52.03, yet he seemed muted and less than impressed with himself on completion. It was a strange response for a man who treats every victory as if itÕs his first and seems to have energy to spare. It turns out his goggles kept filling up with water - the kind of thing every recreational swimmer can equate with - and this cost him time and scuppered his chance of a personal target of 1:51 or better.
It just goes to show the perfectionism of the man. A gold medal and world record would satisfy every other athlete on the planet but Phelps felt he'd left something out in the pool - and that wasn't good enough. Regardless of leaky goggles this was the victory that made Phelps the most prolific golden boy the Olympics has ever known. Shortly afterwards he enhanced that claim further by taking the 4x200m relay gold medal in 6:58.56. Another world record needless to say!
And talking of world records Frenchman Alain Bernard held what must have been one of the briefest ever. His 47:20 set new standards for the 100m freestyle, but only until the very next semi final when Eammon Sulllivan of Australia clocked 47:05!
GB enjoyed another solid day of competition with the men's 4x200m team finishing sixth in a new British record time. Caitlin McClatchey swam well to also manage being placed sixth in the 200m freestyle final. She was ranked outside of the top ten prior to the Games so sixth in the world represents a wonderful progression for another swimmer with an exciting future.
The downside today was a miscalculation that means GB - a strong medal tip for the Women's 4x200 relay - will not even compete in the final. Gold medal winner Becky Adlington and Caitlin McClatchey were both rested in anticipation of the impending final. Sadly the quartet of Jackson, Marshall and the inexperienced Miley and Halsall couldnÕt do better than an overall ninth. This tactic was clearly a mistake and should in no way reflect on the 'substitute' girls who took to the water. Whilst we are getting stronger as a team and our standards are increasing hugely (50% of the team has swum a PB at this meeting), we can't afford to 'mess around' against this strength of opposition. It has been a rare low point this week and will be a lesson well learnt.
Back to the positives. Eighteen year old Fran Halsall won her 100m freestyle heat a fraction outside her British record. Liam Tancock looked mightily impressive for most of his 200 IM heat before fading over the last few metres to finish fourth. Unfortunately this wasnÕt enough to move through to the semis. Liam is a terrific talent as his 50m backstroke world record suggests. He just needs to find that bit extra that allows him to swim every last metre in the longer distances. I don't think it will be long before he finds it. In the same event James Goddard swam alongside Phelps (as much as anybody can swim alongside him!) finishing fifth, and also qualified for the next round. And Gregor Tait also progressed by finishing second in his heat behind world record holder Ryan Lochte.
I hope people back home realise that huge forward strides are being taken here. The medals might not be cascading down on our team but they are setting PB's and British records. There might be little recognition when being placed fourth through to eighth. But it must be remembered that they are positions in the world. A terrific platform on which to build towards the next World Championships and London 2012.
Remaining in the world of aquatics I'd also like to point out that our synchro' divers deserve commendation. We might have come eighth, eighth, eighth and seventh, but once again it should be remembered this positioning is in the world. It is also worth noting we were one of only five nations to qualify a team for every finalƒanother firm block on which to build.
I'd like to take the opportunity to pinpoint a sequence of events that encapsulates much of what the Olympics is about. The whole "not the winning but the taking part" thing is perhaps an increasingly redundant notion in the modern era. But try telling that to anybody who watched GB weightlifter Michaela Breeze. Carrying a back injury that simply did not allow the Commonwealth Champion to lift anything like her potential, she took part nevertheless. After each lift she was in tears, doubled up and barely able to get off the stage. Yet she returned time and time again to execute yet another sub-best lift. In such circumstances a medal was never remotely possible yet she refused to quit. It will probably rank as the greatest unrecorded triumph of this Olympics. Afterwards an ailing and emotional Michaela simply explained, "This is the Olympic games - pain doesn't matter."
Wednesday was something of a fraught and painful day for me too. My 18 month old boy Finlay is out here with me and during the early hours he began to exhibit a troublesome chest and breathing difficulties. An initial diagnosis threw up the possibility of pneumonia and we were rushed to Beijing Children's Hospital. Despite broadcasting commitments I was going nowhere until I knew the score. Thankfully the problems were found to be less serious and a nebulizer and course of antibiotics were prescribed and Fin' was free to leave. A mad dash across town ensued in which I ran the last mile to the Water Cube, crashing through puddles and arriving just in time to plug in my ear piece, grab my microphone and talk to Sue Barker live. All the while trying to give the impression all was relaxed and calm Ð quite an acting job!
Some journalists in the media centre were aware something was up. If anything does appear in the press along the lines of 'Sharron Davies' baby in emergency hospital dash', I can report that Fin is back with us and should return to his bouncy, healthy self soon. I'd like to thank the Chinese medics who helped and were so efficient, effective and helpful in circumstances that were anything but ideal.
15/08/08
Speaking to her afterwards she admitted that she is surprised at how fast she is swimming. And in truth gold medals and Olympic records have probably come as something of a surprise to those closest to her too. However she is a huge talent and is managing to peak at the right time - a rare skill in itself. All will be revealed in the early hours of Saturday morning, but her form is such that I don't mind venting that the 19-year-old record for the 800m (the longest standing record in women's swimming) could be threatened.
Whatever the result Becky has shown herself to be an immense talent and homegrown champion for some years to come. At the other end of the scale you might recall that I highlighted Katie Hoff as a name to watch in these games. The young star of American women's swimming embarked on a quest for five gold medals and I - along with many people involved in swimming - thought it possible for her. Well, how wrong could we have been? Katie will be leaving Beijing without any golds. Worse than that though she even failed to be placed in two finals. And if that seemed like her nadir a new low was struck in the 800m semi final on Friday. While Becky was breaking the Olympic record Hoff did not even qualify. My BBC colleague Steve Parry described her on the radio as Òlooking like a broken womanÓ as she made her way around the Water Cube. As someone once said sport can be a glorious irrelevance. But it can also be cruel, crushing and anything but irrelevant. Just ask Katie Hoff.
By total contrast guest what? Michael Phelps has been winning races, gold medals and setting new world records...some things just don't change! His sixth gold of this games came in the 200IM in the world record time of 54.23. We did well to get two men through to the same final and James Goddard and Liam Tancock came sixth and eighth respectively. Both will have benefitted hugely from the experience. I must also mention USA's Ryan Lochte who took third place only 30 minutes after winning the 200m backstroke in a world record time!
Phelps now has a personal haul of 12 Olympic golds and is putting clear water (forgive the pun) between himself and the next greatest Olympians. There are very few other records left for him to break but I've rummaged around and found one. Eight of his 12 golds have been from individual events whilst the other four have come in relays. One more will bring him the greatest number of non-team golds. I think it's a safe prediction to say that it won't be long before Michael owns this record outright too.
Next up is the 100m butterfly which - relatively speaking - could be reasonably tough for him. Phelps is not the world record holder in this event and will be up against Ian Crocker (who does hold the record) and the Serbian Cavic who is the second fastest of all time. Ordinarily, this would suggest Michael is coming into the event as the third ranked swimmer in the pool. But then again this is Michael Phelps and all normal rules go out of the window. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he chose this final to leapfrog his two rivals, win gold and claim the world's fastest ever time.
If Phelps persistent displays of excellence are almost predictable, the result of the women's 200m breaststroke was anything but. USA's Rebecca Soni caused a surprise by beating the much fancied Aussie Leisel Jones and setting a world record in the process. Her victory was even more stirring when you realise she had significant surgery only two years ago to rectify an irregular heartbeat. Life affecting surgery to Olympic gold medallist in two years Ð a wonderful story of triumph over adversity.
GB's women's 400x100 team of Spofforth, Lowe, Haywood and Halsall swam very well to make the final and, given a similar performance, could be pushing for a podium spot. Fran Halsall also made it through to the 100m freestyle final with a solid swim. Although happy to be in the final she told me she was disappointed with her time and explained she'd been thrown by the crowd noise whilst on her blocks. It's not the first time this matter has been voiced over the last week. Nobody wants to false start in swimming as it means instant disqualification (unlike athletics where at least the perpetrator gets another chance). Because of this swimmers are used to well observed silence while they're on the blocks. Unfortunately the Chinese haven't got to grips with this formality and if they have a swimmer involved their vocal enthusiasm is relentless!
Sadly my old friend Mark Foster didn't progress through his heat and his competitive Olympics has been shortlived. I know that he was targeting the semi finals as a realistic goal and was then happy to see what would happen. It is a shame he fell short of that aim but his time wasn't too far off his best. I also know for a fact that his presence in the team has been invaluable. His vast experience has been an ideal counterpoint to the youth and inexperience of a team - 90% of which should still be involved in four years time. His demeanor and helpful nature will have been so important to the swimming team as a whole.
We finally got to see the sun today as blue skies abounded and views we didn't know existed turned out to be magnificent. The temperatures continue to be at the upper end of the barometric scale, but maybe I should think twice about what I wear after the press decided to concentrate, once again, on the so-called revealing nature of some of my clothing....none of which would be out of place in most summer wardrobes. Talk about making something out of nothing!
17/08.08
Well that's it.....it's all over for me and it as been a complete thrill to be present at these games and spend so much time at the poolside and in the BBC studio. You won't be surprised if I say that, from a British perspective, the swimming has been dominated by two names.
I know there has already been talk about the Queen conferring honours on her, and having set something of a precedent by making double golden girl Kelly Holmes a Dame, perhaps the same prefix is waiting for Becky. I think the difference is that Kelly was at the end of her career and was receiving it in part recognition of that career. Becky has barely started yet and what she might go on to achieve is incredibly exciting. She'll be worthy of every honour that does come her way but there is no rush.
Life will change for Becky now and almost all for the better. I crept into the public consciousness as a 13-year-old Olympian and then more so as an 18-year-old. Of course growing up in the public eye has downsides but so much of what I have and do today can be traced directly back to those early years as an Olympian and I am forever grateful. Becky will have gone from being largely anonymous to all but family and friends to being one of THE faces of British sport all in the matter of a week. It will take some getting used to but she is so lovely and down to earth I can't see her being too consumed by it.
But as much as I love Becky and have been utterly thrilled by her achievements I really can't ignore The Phelpsian Octet. Michael Phelps arrived in Beijing with slightly outlandish pretensions of eight gold medals. Even the most sage like swimming observers felt it was unlikely. Six or maybe even seven perhaps, after all he is quite brilliant.....but eight? Doubtful - too many variables such as two relays (in which the form of three others is as influential as his own). Then there was the matter of workload and inevitable fatigue.
And then the mission began, firstly under the watchful gaze of attending President George W. Bush (no pressure there then Michael), then through round after round of heats and finals - 17 swims in nine days. There were dramas and there were close calls, none more so than Saturday's 100m butterfly in which the Serbian Cavic did everything except win - Phelps getting it on the touch by 1/100th! I know much has been said about this result and simply judging by the overhead shot I understand this. However I can honestly tell you such images can be slightly misleading and the timing systems used are the very best available. There is also a back-up timer independently recording information and this too had Phelps winning by the narrowest margin.
And if he was helped by a belief defying Jason Lezak anchor leg in the 4x100 freestyle relay earlier in the week, Michael really was the difference in Sunday's world record breaking 4x100 medley relay. Whilst the others put in solid times they were barely enough to separate them from the competition. It was Michael's remarkable third leg that made the difference. And how appropriate as history was made, the sort of history that will perhaps never be re-written...certainly not in our lifetimes anyway! Eight golds in Beijing, 14 Olympic career golds and a pledge to take on new disciplines and challenges in London. For a boy who was taken swimming simply as a way to keep his hyper activity in check by a despairing mother, he is a authentic phenomenon and we are so lucky that the next time he bestrides such a stage it will be in England. Don't miss it! I have spoken to him several times over the last week and have found him utterly humble, generous in praise of others and a very impressive human being.
Elsewhere I and most of the swimming world was delighted to see Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe stop becoming the fastest 'loser' in history. Thus far she had attained three silver medals all in world record times! Finally she picked up one of the most deserved golds at this games so far when she clocked a world record 2:05.24 in the 200m backstroke. It was also good to see the medals being shared around a bit with Tunisia and Brazil both striking gold and Britta Steffen's win in the women's 50m freestyle final is worthy of particular mention. Not just because the German won a terrific gold in an Olympic record time, but she was the only victor in the whole meet not to wear the Speedo LZR suit.
Although the Water Cube has now played its part in proceedings there is still a bit more swimming to come with the Open Water events. Keep an eye out for David Davies and Cassie Patten who I believe could fair very well whilst Keri-Anne Payne is an exciting talent too.
Now I know there will be the usual nay-sayers and Mr & Mrs Indignant from Nonplussedshire will be writing to papers and calling radio phone-ins to gripe about a lack of medals. Of course that is their right, but before they do so I hope they consider the following facts: In Sydney eight years ago the GB team barely turned up and it was a disaster. Four years later in Athens there was a step forward but we were still short on meaningful results, expectation and optimism. Beijing 2008: Two golds and a bronze, one world record, 24 British records, 24 finalists, 18 semi finalists, European and Commonwealth records set and many personal bests achieved. All of this by a young squad many of whom making their Olympic debut. GB has finished up the most successful European nation in the swimming medals table and, if we hadn't bungled things a bit over a women's relay selection, could have leapfrogged Japan too.
I promise you times are changing and the immediate future of GB swimming is looking very positive. A fact perhaps best summed up by our women's 4x100 medley relay team, the oldest of whom is a mere 21. They were squeezed out of bronze medal position to come a hugely creditable 4th, but couldn't disguise their disappointment when I spoke to them afterwards. These young men and women are very impressive and now is not the time for negativity and gloom-mongering.
I have had the most fantastic time here in Beijing and want to thank the Chinese for putting on such a wonderful 'show' and being so welcoming, helpful, jolly and unfailingly friendly. I've had a couple of wonderful evenings down in a specially erected 'palace' in central Beijing for 'old' Olympians to meet up and a beer has been enjoyed with old colleagues and competitors. My intention now is to catch more action in the Birds Nest - I saw Usain Bolt's logic confounding display in the 100m. A massive world record whilst decelerating! Followed by a meal with my good old friend Daley Thompson and then it'll be time to go home. It has been a pleasure and I do hope you have enjoyed the coverage so far.
Athletics now dominates the proceedings and I have a feeling our athletics squad is in a not dissimilar position to our swimmers four years ago. Young, talented but a year or two away from fully harnessing and exhibiting that talent. It could all bode well for 2012 and if our world beating cyclists, sailors and rowers stay on form GB really is shaping up for great things to come.
As a postscript I'd like to say news has filtered back that a number of papers have once again questioned the bodily coverage of some of my summer outfits worn whilst on air. Four years ago certain papers got all steamed up about my torso and this time the usual suspects have moved south to focus on a certain pair of shorts and my legs. Oh well I suppose I should take it as something of a compliment but I can't help but think journalists at the greatest show on earth should really be writing about something else!
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