GREAT Britons show off their medals yesterday — as they celebrate our most
successful Olympics
in more than a century.
An astonishing 114
members of glorious Team GB won medals — just over one in five of the
541-strong squad.
Three gongs were added to our haul yesterday, making a magnificent final tally
of 65 — with 29 golds, 17 silvers and 19 bronzes.
Anthony Joshua boxed his way to gold in the super heavyweight event after Fred
Evans won silver in the welterweight category. Samantha Murray later added
another silver in the modern pentathlon.
And last night Britain finished THIRD in the global medals table behind
US and China, with our biggest takings since 1908.
British Olympic Association boss Andy Hunt hailed it the “greatest
performance of our greatest team at the greatest Olympics ever”.
He added: “Combine that with the support of the British public and it’s been
magical. It’s lifted the whole country, brought people together and it’s
been a fantastic performance. I’m very proud of what we’ve done.”
Yesterday the Queen congratulated British and Commonwealth athletes, saying
they had “captured the public’s imagination and earned their admiration”.
She added: “The outstanding performance of Team GB in achieving the greatest
Olympic success since 1908, will, I am sure, have inspired a new generation
of Olympians and reminded us all how sport unifies communities and nations.
I congratulate, too, the organisers of the Games, as well as the thousands
of volunteers who have epitomised the Olympic spirit through the warm
welcome they have shown to the sporting teams and spectators from all around
the world.”
The Queen and Prince Philip will hold a reception for Team GB at Buckingham
Palace in October.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said yesterday’s final three medal wins brought “a
fairy-tale end to the greatest Olympics ever staged”.
He added: “The Herculean efforts of our sports men and woman have truly scaled
the heights, delivering a third place ranking for Team GB which we hardly
dared to believe possible.
“Athletes from every competing nation deserve our collective praise in
testimony to their staggering dedication and hard work, which has delivered
a truly thrilling spectacle for billions of spectators around the globe.”
Perhaps the most memorable day of the Games was the gold rush of Super
Saturday — when Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Greg Rutherford all grabbed gold
medals within 45 minutes of each other.
They are now among those tipped to rake in thousands from book deals as
experts predict huge demand for Olympic autobiographies.
HarperSport boss Rory Scarfe told The Bookseller trade magazine: “Mo Farah is
very interesting — he’s got an amazing story.”
But it’s not just the star gold medal winners who are set to cash in.
Up-and-coming star Adam Gemili — at the centre of the 4x100m relay blunder
that cost his team a place in the final — is also in line for a big advance
for his story.
Publisher Yellow Jersey has already signed up for a new autobiography of cycle
hero Bradley Wiggins. Rower Greg Searle’s memoir If Not Now, When? is
published by Pan Macmillan this month.
Victoria Pendleton’s autobiography Between the Lines is published next month
by HarperSport.
Sainsbury’s head of books Phil Carroll said Olympic merchandise, including
books, has been “selling well against forecast”.
Olympics memorabilia is also doing a roaring trade online. Items up for sale
on the official London 2012 auction site included a pair of Tom Daley’s
Speedos, signed by the bronze medal-winning diver.
Replica cycling jerseys signed by Bradley Wiggins and Sir Chris Hoy were also
up for grabs.
Bids for the basketball used in the men’s final topped £3,000 yesterday.
The official results sheet from the men’s 4 x 100m relay final was on offer
for bids of £4,500 or more.
Fans of Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony could snap up one of the maypoles used
in the Green and Pleasant Land segment, with bids topping £200 last night.
Also available were costumes used in the ceremony, including the nurses’
outfits. All profits from the official auction site will be distributed to
sporting bodies.
Meanwhile, on eBay sellers were offering “bottled Olympic air” and a tissue
used to wipe a seat at the stadium.
Boxer Joshua hits 29th gold
BOXER Anthony Joshua capped a magnificent Games for Team GB’s fighters by
taking the super-heavyweight gold yesterday.
Big Josh — all 6ft 6in of him — beat defending champion Roberto Cammarelle of
Italy on countback after a nailbiting draw.
Anthony, 22, of Finchley, North London, was three points behind going into the
final round when he let fly with a flurry of punches.
With the final score 18-18, the 10,000 crowd at the ExCel arena erupted as the
referee awarded it to the Brit.
But there was an agonising ten-minute wait after the Italians lodged a
protest, which was rejected. Anthony said: “I am an Olympic champion now.
This is a golden moment.”
His mother Yeta, who had watched his previous bouts on TV, was there — and he
gave her his flowers from the podium.
Hopes of a second gold of the day were dashed as welterweight Fred Evans lost
to Kazakhstan’s Serik Sapiyev.
But Evans, 21, of Cardiff, was thrilled with silver. He said: “It’s what I’ve
waited a long time for.”
Shooter Sam in last silver
SAMANTHA Murray completed Britain’s amazing medal haul by clinching silver in
the final event of the Games last night — the modern pentathlon.
Battling Samantha started the final event — the combined run and shoot — in
Greenwich Park, South East London, in fourth place.
Competitors had three rounds of shooting, each followed by a 1,000m run.
And Samantha put in a strong last leg to finish second behind Lithuania’s
Laura Asadauskaite.
The 22-year-old, of Preston, Lancs, had a miserable start in the fencing but
put in a strong swim, finishing 200m in 2min 8.2s.
She put two fences down in the showjumping, which left her with much to do in
the final test of the pentathlon, modelled on the skills of a 19th-century
soldier.
Samantha said last night: “I had a lot to make up on the run. I’m just so
pleased my legs kept running. Up the hills was so steep and I just kept
working hard.”
She added: “Four years ago I started pentathlon. Since then I’ve come through
the ranks, won some medals and made it to the Olympic Games.”
Great Britain’s Mhairi Spence, 26, the world champion, finished 21st after a
tough showjumping round.
An apology from Moany Tony, The Sun’s Olympic whinger
IN previous articles I may have given readers the impression that the Olympics
were an endless, tedious waste of money.
It has been pointed out, and I now accept, that in fact the Games were a
fabulous festival of sporting excellence enjoyed by billions around the
globe and a dazzling showcase for modern Britain. I am happy to put the
record straight.