OLYMPIC GOLD RUSH FOR USA AND GB
By Keith Malone guest reporting for Space Coast Daily.com // August 4, 2012
LIVE REPORT FROM THE 30TH OLYMPIAD
EDITOR’S NOTE: SpaceCoastDaily.com’s Keith Malone, is now reporting from England, covering the Olympic Games. He is providing his unique perspective of the games, and his native country, as he travels to the various venues to report back to the Space Coast on all the glamour and excitement of the 30th Olympic Games.
“It’s with great pride as a loyal “Brit” as I replace my brother Giles Malone (who is now back in Florida after his memorable Olympic trip) as your Olympic correspondent here in the U.K” – Keith Malone.
THE OLYMPIC GAMES• LONDON, ENGLAND — I now report for Space Coast Daily on a sensational evening of athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the London Games: Britain’s athletes staking claim to more golden achievements like the USA swimmers – and Michael Phelps in particular – in the Aquadome.
With USA sitting on top of the medals table after Day Eight – just heading China with 26 golds and 54 medals in total – Super Saturday of the London Olympics will forever go down as the greatest-ever sporting day for the host nation.
Great Britain claimed three gold medals in track and field – women’s heptathlon, men’s long jump and men’s 10,000 metres – and Team GB also won three further golds in rowing and cycling.
With 80,000 Olympic fans producing a deafening wall of noise in the stadium, Day 8 climaxed with victory in the men’s 10,000 metres for Britain’s Somali-born long-distance super star Mo Farrah.
But the US can claim great credit in this gold for Britain as Farrah’s American training partner Galen Rupp sprinted with him down the finishing straight to take the silver.
Farah turned to Rupp as he collapsed to the ground seconds after crossing the finishing line and Rupp helped Farrah to his feet in an emotional embrace and then went with him on a lap of honour.
The two great friends train in Oregon and it was so fitting they took gold and silver as Farah ended the winning grip that Ethiopia has had on this event for the last four Games.
In the final track event of the night, TEAM USA took silver in the final of the Women’s 100 metres – as Carmelita Jeter came in second behind Jamaica’s Shelley-Ann Fraser- Pryce.
In the cycling velodrome, USA took another silver as they came second to Team GB, who set a new world record in the final of the Women’s Team Pursuit.
In the Aquadome, there was an emotional farewell to the greatest Olympian of all time, America’ s Michael Phelps – who ended his gargantuan and super-human Olympic career by winning his 18th gold medal in the 100 metres medley relay. It was his 22nd Olympic medal in total.
This was Phelps’ third and final Olympic Games and he swam the butterfly leg as Team US narrowly failed to beat their own world record in this event.
” I dreamt of being the greatest,” he told the BBC after the emotional medal ceremony. “My coach Bob and I have worked together to become that and we’ve been able to do everything we ever wanted to do.
“In looking back, hanging up my suit and retiring, I can say I’ve done everything I ever wanted and I couldn’t be happier. ”
Phelps also endeared himself even more to the British people by declaring these London Games as the “best ever.”
The US women set a new world record in winning the final of the women ‘s 100 metres medley relay – all four members of the team already having won gold.
At the tennis tournament at Wimbledon, USA’s Serena Williams completed the golden Grand Slam – by adding the Olympic singles title to the four majors she’s won during her stunning career. She dropped just one game in thrashing Russia’s Sharapova in straight sets
And Serena wowed the packed Centre Court with a disco-type wiggle as she accepted the applause and the gold medal that took the USA to the top of the medal table. They are now on 26 golds – just one ahead of China.
