The 2012 prestigious Olympic Games made a very patriotic and proud summer for us Londoners. The city was alive with people arriving from all over the world and Britain jumped on the chance to show off for the new sea of tourists. Remember those adverts on the tube comparing the world coming to London to when you hurriedly clean your place before your mum comes over? I mean maybe that’s the same kinda thing – you know – if you have your friends parachuting from the sky and quickly erect (grow up) a £701m stadium before your folks arrive…
Anyway, there are some moments from the 2012 games that are truly unforgettable, but in case you forgot them, here’s a recap of some of our highlights:
1. 007’s Royal entrance.
[sundaytimes]Overcoming stereotypes may be important to some but clearly not to Londoners who embraced the entire James Bond theme with the added delight of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth parachuting into the stadium with Daniel Craig as James Bond by her side. With Oscar winning director Danny Boyle as the mind behind the operation it really was remarkable to see our Queeny flying through the air so gracefully at the respectable age of 89! It would have been nice to see some Harry Potter references thrown in there to really hit all the British pop-culture references but not everything can be that magical. P.S. (We know it wasn’t reaaaaally the Queen but lets not spoil the illusion ok??)
2. Michael Phelps’ 200m win.
[dailymail]After losing out to Ryan Lochte (and 2 others) in the 400m race, it was a beautiful moment when Phelps took home the gold for America by winning the 200m, making him the most-decorated Olympic athlete of all time with an astounding 22 medals. Phelps you’re one tall drink of pool water my friend.
3. Bolt’s Insain Sprint.
[vagarms.wordpress]It’s commonly accepted that Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world and his performance at London’s 2012 games can surely vouch for that. Bolt’s gold in the 200m made him the first sprinter to win both the 100 and 200m race in consecutive Olympic games.
4. Aly Raisman’s parents roller coaster ride.
[dailymail]It seems even Olympic athletes have embarrassing parents and American gymnast Aly Raisman is no exception. Raisman’s electric performance was somewhat overshadowed by mum and dad imitating a roller coaster ride in the stands. Some may have thought they had been bewitched as they jerked, swayed and grimaced whilst planted firmly on their seats… Whether they are overbearing parents or simply ‘a cool mom!!’ is hard to say however, as pure entertainment, their performance was worth a medal of its own.
5. Chariot’s of Bean.
[mirror]A true British gem, Rowan Adkinson delivered an adorably hilarious performance as Mr Bean during the opening ceremony. A juxtaposition of the glory-inspiring Chariot’s of Fire framed against Mr Bean blowing his nose and reading his texts is an image that truly makes us proud to be British, am I right guys?
6. Steiner’s struggles.
[dailymail]A truly frightening moment when German weightlifter Matthias Steiner dropped a 432 pound dumbbell onto his neck whilst trying to defend his Olympic title. The blue curtains of doom that went up around him were met with a great silence and tension from the audience however, somewhat miraculously, he walked away from this accident with no permanent injuries and even mustered the strength to give the audience a comforting fist pump.
7. Tom Daley’s reveal.
[mirror]No, his swimsuit did not fall off… British Olympic diver Tom Daley, who had hearts racing during the games, released a video in November 2013 explaining that he identified as bisexual. Later in April 2014 whilst appearing on Celebrity Juice, when asked by host Keith Lemon if he is a ‘gay man’ Daley answered ‘I am.’ Albeit a year or so after the actual games, Daley’s high profile as a professional athlete broadened representation of LGBTQ members in the sporting community and at the same time increased awareness, and hopefully understanding, of the LGBTQ community more generally. We salute you Tom.
8. Technical difficulties for Shin-A-Lam.
[independent]A sticky situation for Olympic officials as a clock failing to start allowed South Korean fencer Shin-A-Lam’s opponent to gain the winning touch and win the gold. This sparked big controversy with the game officials offering Shin-A-Lam a consolation medal and acknowledging that ‘there can be human error.’ Many, including Shin-A-Lam herself, believed the ruling to be unfair and in fact the Olympic fencer sat on the piste in tears for over an hour after the decision was made whilst her coach argued for an appeal. A silver lining presented itself when Shin-A-Lam went onto win gold in the team competition.
9. Boris’ zipwire extravaganza.
[dailymail]No London 2012 list would be complete without the ex-mayor’s fantastic performance whilst stuck 20m in the air on a zipwire above Victoria park. A truly memorable BoJo moment as he hung helpless but still in good spirits haplessly waving the Union Jack flags and shouting at spectators. Classic.
10. THAT logo reaction.
[tisotit.blogspot]London’s 2012 Olympic logo definitely seemed to received quite a mixed reception with some twitter user’s imaginations getting the better, (or worst), of them. It’s safe to say the phallic shaped mascots didn’t fair too well either.
11. The Fab Five.
[nbcolympics]The US women’s gymnastic team won the final, and hearts, in the London Olympics with their self-acclaimed fierce and determined personalities. Both the sparkling individuals and flawless performances given by these fab five women earned them the Olympic gold, as well as their own little fan base.
12. Wiggins slayin’
[telegraph]With his double win of Tour de France and an Olympic gold, plus going on to win Sports Personality of the Year 2012, there is a plethora of Wiggins highlights we can draw from. However, for us, seeing Bradley sat on that golden throne after effortlessly winning the race was one of the coolest moments from the games.
