Re: The Olympic And Paralympics Thread (merged)

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Victoria Pendleton sets Olympic sprint cycling record

Britain's Victoria Pendleton secured the all-important top seeding in the women's sprint competition with an Olympic record in qualifying.
The seedings are decided by a timed 200m sprint from a flying start.
The British star delighted London 2012's loudest crowd with a time of 10.724 seconds, 0.081 seconds quicker than Australian rival Anna Meares.
Earlier in Sunday's morning session, Ed Clancy moved into a tie for second place in the multi-event omnium.
Pendleton was a little outside the world record of 10.643 set by Germany's Miriam Welte in June and races in the last 16 from 16:00 BST.
She recovered from the disappointment of disqualification in the team sprint to win the gold medal in the keirin on Friday.
In the individual sprint, Pendleton is defending the title she won at Beijing four years ago in what will be her final Games before retiring.
In the omnium, Clancy - who was part of the gold medal-winning team pursuit team - is two points behind Australia's world champion Glenn O'Shea, with two events remaining in the evening session.
Clancy, the 2010 world champion, will be expected to win the final event of track cycling's answer to the decathlon, the 1km time trial, which means the result should hinge on the very unpredictable 15km scratch race, which takes place from 17:00.
That distance is at the top end of Clancy's ideal range, but the real issue for him will the tactical challenge of a first-past-the-post race, with 17 rivals, over 60 laps.
This has traditionally been a relative weakness for the 27-year-old Yorkshireman but he is improving all the time, as he demonstrated in Saturday evening's elimination race, when he stole two points on the line with last-gasp efforts.
Clancy will effectively be riding against O'Shea and the 20-year-old Dane Lasse Norman Hansen, who is tied with the Brit on 19 points. Italy's Elia Viviani is a point behind on 20, with overnight leader Bryan Coquard of France in fifth on 22.

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I have just watched the womens' marathon; Ethiopia 1st, Kenya 2nd, but the big surprise was Russia 3rd, and a magnificent run by the Ukrainian, way, way back and then very suddenly she took off like a rocket and came in 5th. Now that was something to see!! LL

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Olympics sailing: Percy & Simpson lose Star gold to Sweden

By Rob Hodgetts, BBC Sport at Weymouth

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson were denied a second straight gold as Sweden won the final medal race to clinch the Olympic Star title in Weymouth.
The British pair led going into the final but finished eighth as Sweden's Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen won.
Brazil's Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada slipped from silver to bronze after coming seventh in a tense finish in front of a huge crowd.
GB finished on 34 points, two behind Sweden, with Brazil on 40 points.
Percy and Simpson, both 36, had taken an eight-point cushion over Brazil and a 12-point lead over Sweden into the double points-scoring medal race but were unable to keep pace with the Swedes in the light breeze.
The Swedish boat took an early lead on the flat waters in front of the massed spectators around the Nothe Fort in Weymouth.
They were briefly overtaken by New Zealand at the third mark but they edged in front again as the battle intensified behind.
Britain were fifth at the final windward mark but lost places on the downwind leg to the finish.
Percy won gold in the Finn class in Sydney in 2000 but switched to the Star and finished fourth with crew Steve Mitchell four years later in Athens.
For the Beijing Games, he teamed up with childhood friend Simpson, who was making his Olympic debut, and the pair fought back from a slow start to the regatta to win gold, with Swedish skipper Loof taking bronze behind the Britons and the Brazilians.
Percy told BBC Sport: "It feels cruel sometimes. It was ridiculous conditions at the end. We feel a little robbed, but that is the way it goes."
Simpson added: "You are never 100% confident. We didn't get it right and can't blame anyone but ourselves. We had a great regatta overall, and we are really frustrated.
"We tried our hardest, but it wasn't to be."

[bb1]

Now that, I would watch, the events at Weymouth must be quite a spectacle.

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GOLD MEDAL No 15!!!!

Ben Ainslie wins fourth Olympics sailing gold medal

By Rob Hodgetts, BBC Sport at Weymouth

Ben Ainslie clinched his fourth straight gold medal to become the most decorated Olympic sailor in history.
The 35-year-old, who also won silver in 1996, overtakes Dane Paul Elvstrom, who won four golds up to 1960.
Britain's Ainslie came ninth in a tense Finn medal race to edge long-time regatta leader Jonas Hogh-Christensen of Denmark into silver.
France's Jonathan Lobert grabbed bronze off Dutchman Pieter-Jan Postma on the final run to the finish.

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GOLD MEDAL No 16!!!!

Andy Murray wins men's singles Olympics tennis gold

By David Ornstein, BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Andy Murray captured the biggest title of his career with an emphatic victory over Roger Federer in the Olympic men's singles final at Wimbledon.
Murray beat the Swiss world number one in straight sets, 6-2 6-1 6-4, on a raucous Centre Court.
The 25-year-old Scot had never beaten Federer in a best-of-five sets match and lost to him in the Wimbledon final.
He is the first British man to win the Olympic singles gold medal since Josiah Ritchie in 1908.
Murray plays the mixed doubles final with Laura Robson later on Sunday.
The pair face Belarusian top seeds Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi knowing they are guaranteed at least a silver medal.
It continues a glorious home Games for Team GB, who sit third in the London 2012 medal table.
The last Briton to claim an Olympic men's singles medal of any colour was Charles Dixon, who won silver at the 1920 Games in Antwerp.
In the bronze medal match, Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro upset world number two Novak Djokovic.
The eighth seed overcame his Serbian opponent 7-5 6-4 in an hour and 48 minutes on Court One at Wimbledon.
An emotional Del Potro dropped to his knees in celebration as his support team leapt with joy in the stands.

[bb1]

OMG!!!!!

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Keep a couple of bottles in reserve, he's due to play the mixed doubles final later. LL

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Louis Smith wins Olympics pommel horse silver, Matt Whitlock bronze for Great Britain

By Ollie Williams, BBC Sport at the North Greenwich Arena

Louis Smith won a dramatic gymnastics silver medal on the pommel horse, missing out on gold by the narrowest margin after his overall score tied with Hungary's Krisztian Berki.
Both Smith and Berki scored 16.066 but Berki was awarded the Olympic gold for a fractionally higher execution score.
GB team-mate Max Whitlock scored a superb 15.600 on his Olympic debut, handing the 19-year-old bronze.
Smith adds silver to the bronze medal he won at Beijing 2008.

[bb1]

I was very good, LL, I didn't watch it, I didn't even check the score

Marvellous result for him.

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3 Great Britain & N. Ireland G16 S9 B9 Total 34

And the medals total keeps rising. LL

[bb1]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183997/Murray-wins-Wimbledon-Andy-serves-gold-stunning-defeat-Roger-Federer-SW19.html

[lily]

Bl**dy awesome!

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Andy Murray & Laura Robson lose Olympics tennis final

Andy Murray and Laura Robson had to settle for silver as they were beaten by Belarusian duo Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi in the Olympics mixed doubles final.
Murray, who had earlier overcome Roger Federer to win the men's singles, and Robson lost 2-6 6-3 10-8 at Wimbledon.
The GB pair made a confident start, winning the opening set.
But the Belarusians levelled and went on to claim gold by taking the first-to-10 'champions tie-break'.

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Olympics cycling: Ed Clancy wins bronze as Hansen takes gold

Britain's Ed Clancy produced a blistering final ride to claim a bronze medal in the omnium.
Clancy had to win the sixth event of the multi-discipline challenge to have a chance of a medal, and he delivered.
In fifth place coming into the 1km time trial, he went a huge 1.333 seconds quicker than Lasse Norman Hansen.
But the 20-year-old Dane was the more consistent throughout the competition and was a worthy winner. France's Bryan Coquard took silver.

[bb1]

I'm amazed at Andy Murray playing two huge matches one after another. Awesome

[lily]

Yes ma'am.

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Olympic cycling: Jason Kenny closes in on a second medal

By Chris Bevan, BBC Sport at London Velodrome

Britain's Jason Kenny moved closer to an individual sprint medal to go with his team gold after beating Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang in the last eight.
Kenny won 2-0 and will take on Trinidad's Njisane Nicholas Phillip on Monday, with the winner going into the gold medal final.
Four-time world champion Gregory Bauge of France meets Australia's Shane Perkins in the other semi-final.

In the women's sprint, Victoria Pendleton eased into the last eight.
Kenny, the top seed after qualifying fastest in an Olympic record for a flying lap, remains on course for a much-anticipated showdown with Bauge, who narrowly beat him in the World Championships in Melbourne in April.
Bauge has won the last five world titles, but lost his 2011 crown to Kenny after being given a backdated suspension for doping offences.
Phillip is not expected to trouble Kenny, who brushed aside the erratic Awang, but the Briton will be aware the charismatic 20-year-old shocked Germany's Robert Forstemann in the second round.
Bolton-born Kenny, who took individual silver behind Sir Chris Hoy at the Beijing Games, was chosen ahead of Hoy for London 2012 after rules restricting each nation to one rider per event were introduced.
He teamed up with Hoy and Phillip Hindes to kickstart Team GB's gold-rush in the velodrome on Thursday night, beating a French trio including Bauge in the final.
Meanwhile, Pendleton continues to look in supreme form following her gold medal in the keirin.
The defending sprint champion, who also broke the Olympic record in qualifying earlier on Sunday, surged past teenage Russian Ekaterina Gnidenko with half a lap to go in her first-round match before making short work of Willy Kanis of the Netherlands with another comfortable win.
The 31-year-old, who retires after these Olympics, is hoping to sign off with her second success in London.
Her great Australian rival Anna Meares also made perfect progress to the last eight, with the competition continuing on Monday.

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5 August 2012
Last updated at 20:16

Perri Shakes-Drayton and Eilidh Child reach 400m hurdles semis

British pair Perri Shakes-Drayton and Eilidh Child have reached the 400m hurdles semi-finals at London 2012.
Shakes-Drayton impressed with a time of 54.62 seconds despite coasting to the line as she won her heat.

Analysis
Colin Jackson
BBC Sport athletics pundit
"Shakes-Drayton was very strong from the blocks. She had good focus and looked like an athlete in control of what she needed to do."

The 23-year-old told BBC Sport: "I thought I had to treat this as a final and not hold anything back. I wanted to win, so it is a good start."
Former European champion Natalya Antyukh was the fastest qualifier in 53.90secs ahead of Zuzana Hejnova.
The 400m hurdles semi-finals take place at 19:00 BST on Monday, with the final scheduled for 20:15 BST on Wednesday.
Child, who ran 56.14secs told BBC Sport: "My stride was all over the place, so I am just relieved I have done enough to make the semi-finals."

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Christine Ohuruogu wins Olympic 400m silver for Great Britain

Christine Ohuruogu finished powerfully to win a silver medal as she narrowly failed to defend her 400m Olympic title.
The 28-year-old Londoner crossed the line in a season's best time of 49.70 seconds but it was not enough to earn another athletics gold for Great Britain.
American Sanya Richards-Ross claimed gold in a time of 49.55secs.
Her compatriot DeeDee Trotter took the bronze, finishing in 49.72secs.

Team GB: Gold 16 Silver 11 Bronze 10 Total: 37

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Olympics windsurfing: Nick Dempsey in contention for silver

By Rob Hodgetts, BBC Sport at Weymouth

British windsurfer Nick Dempsey put himself in the running for an Olympic silver medal with one race left.
The 31-year-old, who won bronze in Athens eight years ago, climbed into second behind Dutchman Dorian van Rijsselberge, who sealed gold with two races remaining.
Dempsey scored a ninth and a second on Sunday to head Germany's Toni Wilhelm in third place by 11 points.
The Briton is 17 points ahead of Poland's Przemyslaw Miarczynski and needs to finish better than ninth in the double points-scoring final to clinch a medal.
"I knew he [Dorian] had won halfway through the first race. He deserves it," said Dempsey, who finished fourth in Beijing. "I don't feel too bad. It's not like I lost it, more like he won it. He sailed better than me and deserved to win. I don't feel completely confident, [about winning silver] there's a lot that could go wrong."
GB 470 women Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark edged back into first after six of their 10 opening races, while 49er duo Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes are third with three races to go.
Mills and Clark, the world champions, posted a first and a sixth to end on 18 points, one clear of New Zealand's Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie and three ahead of Dutch sailors Lisa Westerhof and Lobke Berkhout.
Morrison and Rhodes, who are looking to improve on ninth in Beijing, finished 13th and third in their two races.
The Britons are 26 points behind Kiwis Peter Burling and Blair Tuke in second, but will be looking to defend third from the four teams within six points behind them. Australians Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen lead the class by 20 points.
"We just need to put in a really solid day tomorrow and make sure when we've finished we've still got a chance to win a medal," said Morrison.

[bb1]

When the vastly greater populations of China and the US are taken into account, the UK has done astoundingly well so far for medals. They have totals of 61 and and 60 respectively, and the UK has 37.

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Man arrested for throwing bottle before Bolt race
A man was arrested for throwing a plastic bottle at Usain Bolt and the seven other competitors just before the start of the 100 metres final at the Olympics on Sunday, London's Metropolitan Police said.

By Reuters | Eurosport – 6 hours ago

A beer bottle bounces on the track as competitors in the men's 100 metres final start off the blocks

A police spokesman said a man had been heard shouting abuse and was then seen throwing a bottle, which landed behind the sprinters just after the starter told the runners to "set".
The spectator, arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance, was removed from the stadium and taken to a police station in east London.
The spokesman said no one was injured during the incident, which did not disrupt the race - the highlight of the athletics programme at the Games - won by Jamaican Usain Bolt.
Edith Bosch, a bronze medal winner in judo at the Games, told Dutch TV she was standing behind the man when he shouted insults at Bolt before hurling the bottle towards him. The Dutch athlete said she had slapped him around the head before he was taken away by police.
Bolt, who retained his sprint title in an Olympic record time of 9.63 seconds, said he was unaware of the incident.
"I just heard about it, I didn't actually see it," he told a news conference, laughing. "I don't promote violence so I'm sorry to hear that."

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When the vastly greater populations of China and the US are taken into account, the UK has done astoundingly well so far for medals. They have totals of 61 and and 60 respectively, and the UK has 37.

Actually per capita, you'd be surprised who tops the list!!

http://www.topendsports.com/events/summer/medal-tally/all-time-comparison-pop.htm

[bb1]

In the same vein:

Ee bah gum! If Yorkshire was a country, it would be higher in the Olympic medal table than South Africa, Japan and Australia

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2184030/Olympics-2012-If-Yorkshire-country-higher-medal-table-SA-Japan-Australia.html#ixzz22lJUxGAV

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