THERE WE HAVE IT.
It is all purely subjective but most everybody can agree that London 2012 has been a spectacular success.
Every four years the games throw up a raft of amazing stories, heartbreaking tales and images of highly trained athletes falling flat on their faces/bums. The London Olympics were no different.
Over to you Rio, but not before a clatter of fireworks and some miming and dancing from the Spice Girls.
Headline of the day
Good Night and Good Luck!
There were Union Jacks fluttering like crazy at Olympic Stadium as London held a street party, invoked the bulldog spirit of Winston Churchill, sang along to Madness and The Kinks, and paid tribute to Only Fools and Horses. The millionaire footballers of Chelsea and Manchester City were even booted up the road to Birmingham to play the Community Shield as London 2012 waved a glittering goodbye to the world.
Yes, that IS One Direction. (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.)
What we learned today?
- The basketball stars of the USA justified the ‘Dream Team’ tag
The American team, and James Harden’s beard, defeated Spain to win Gold in the Men’s Basketball Final. Kevin Durant was the star of the show are he chipped in with 30 points in a closely-fought 107-100 win. The Spanish led 59-58 going into the break but Durant and Chris Paul got motoring to get the USA over the line. It was a fitting farewell to Kobe Bryant, who was competing in his last Olympics.
- Great Britain will need some effort at Rio 2016 to surpass their huge medal haul
The goal, before the games, for Great Britain was 48 medals (one better than Beijing 2008). One suspects that the real plan was to claim more than that but nobody could have surely imagined that Team GB, despite the bungling efforts of Stuart Pearce, would finish up with 65 medals (29 Gold). The United States top the table and China were second but Great Britain can be proud of its athletes. The bar has been set ludicrously high but sports stars love a challenge.
- The French proved that they were worth the handball hype
There was almost as much pressure on the male handball players of France to win gold as there was for the USA to storm the basketball. The reigning world champions managed to retain their Olympic title after a nervy 22-21 win over Sweden. “It is something I will never forget for the rest of my life,” said French coach Claude Onesta, who can rest easy upon his return home. Russia made history in the Men’s Volleyball Final when they came back from two sets down against Brazil to win Gold.
Highlights from Team Ireland
Mark Kenneally in action during the Men’s Marathon Final. (©INPHO/Morgan Treacy)
- Mark Kenneally finishes 57th in the men’s marathon with a time of 2:21:13.
- Natalya Coyle earns ninth place overall in the women’s modern pentathlon.
Lost In Translation
“This is a James Bond sport, it’s true.” – Joel Bouzou, head of the international pentathlon federation, has a new tagline for his favourite sport.
Tweet of the day
Natalya Coyle is pretty chuffed with her ninth place finish in the Women’s Modern Pentathlon.
Best thing we’ve read today
Australians may not have hoovered up the medals at this Olympic Games but they have kept us entertained with their ‘Naughty Korea, Nice Korea’ medal tables, ‘Ireland should join Great Britain’ commentaries and everything Ian Thorpe has said and worn. Here is how The Age summed up the games.
A new friend we made today
Stephen Kiprotich got Uganda on the medal table and just in time too. The 23-year-old burst past Kenya marathon mainstays Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang with two kilometres to go and raced clear to win Gold. Kiprotich actually moved to Kenya as a teenager to train with some of the finest runners in the world. Thanks for the leg up Kenya!
You said what?
Hopefully I made everyone in Ireland proud as well, seeing out the games with a bang.
- Irish pentathlete Natalya Coyle after her ninth place finish today.
I have watched the film ’300′ relentlessly because they never give up.
- British boxer Anthony Joshua reveals the motivating factor that drove him to boxing gold.
We will be back in Rio.
- The clarion call of so many athletes and Olympians but this particular comment was made by Italy’s Maurizio Felugo after his side were beaten by Croatia in the Men’s Water Polo Final.
Medal table
… and here is who is keeping Ireland company:
(Table correct as of 8.30pm on Sunday, 12 August)
To our neighbours and friends in Britain
Well done and congrats on a great Olympics 2012
Agreed Peter..a fantastic job! Rio has a lot to live up to!
Totally agree Peter. Enjoyed every minute of these Olympic games. That closing ceremony was amazing, the whole stadium was rocking and the athletes were having the time of their lives.
PS- fantastic pic of Rob and Katie!
Rk moving in there nice and quickly, clever fellow
best facilities money can buy and 35mill population – scarlet for canada!
Canada will make up for it in 2014 at the Winter Games!
true :)
Great closing ceramony…hairs stood on end with Lennon’s Imagine…
I found it definitely hit or miss. The segment with the supermodels was a bit out of nowhere!
Overall I think it’s great, it’s just a big party….George Michael ‘sang’ one song too many….the supermodel bit was totally underwhelming and seemed a bit out of place but thought Jessie j, tinie tempah and taio cruz were brilliant and Wonderwall is always gonna be good to get everyone going….Freddie and Brian May brilliant!!! It was a great couple of weeks of sport…now where’s me runners!
Yes, we’re better than Argentina!! Wonder if Messi has an Irish Granny anywhere, just in case he fancies the switch…..
Great show but the sound is woeful. It is as if someone is holding a microphone in the air to capture the music for tv.
Good Olympics overall. Was in London & sailed by Weymouth, the whole place was buzzing from it. Pity no Rolling Stones in the closing ceremony. The Who were great, George Michael should have stuck to one song.
Have to agree with eimear George Michael did one song to many and I absolutely love him, but loved the show. Eric Idle was brilliant and enjoyed the rest too great ti see Freddy briefly too. So trolls please leave it alone and Rio looks like its going to be lively and colourful too
Elbow were a disaster…way to get the crowd to fall asleep! Fatboy Slim got the place jumping. In fairness, how could the closing ceremony come close to Boyle’s masterpiece? Annie Lennox actually sang really well, forgot how much of a pro she is.
Hope ye got to watch a bit of the Handball . Loved Eric Idle
Well done England, brilliant as usual what a wonderful beginning and end, i so enjoyed every minute sad it’s finished, back to the grind…..
England? It was Great Britain who hosted the Olympics. Get your facts right.
Pot. Kettle. Black. Darren. Re: Rory McIlory. Get your facts right.
It was London who hosted the Olympics – the games are awarded to a city not a country.
I really enjoyed the Olympics. The best part was when Great Britain finished third. Well Done USA and China for finishing ahead of them.
Well done for being a bigoted moron.
Facist brainless xenophobe.
Oh what a jealous heart you have. Sad person.
Hello again clown.
Third was a massive haul for their population considering they are far smaller than Russia and Germany who were behind them. Then again you probably don’t understand having made a witless comment like that!
Idiot.
what a stupid comment, makes no sense even from a bigoted POV,
Fool!
Patriot? I doubt that. You’re a nationalist. There’s a massive difference.
Patriotism is based on affection and nationalism is rooted in rivalry and resentment. One can say that nationalism is militant by nature and patriotism is based on peace.
Nationalists assume that their country is better than any other, whereas patriots believe that their country is one of the best and can be improved in many ways. Patriots tend to believe in friendly relations with other countries while nationalists don’t.
I can’t believe the amount of bigots still around. Sad.
That desperate for attention troll? Prefer being called idiot to the vast emptiness that must rule the rest of your online existence? Ok so, here’s some crumbs of pitying and negative attention from the table. Good luck…
Grow up jackass
the whole thing was stunning from start to finish 2 of the best weeks I can remember, I’m already having withdrawel symptom, ah well the football and rugby are back soon
Congrats again to GB for a fantastic Games closing ceremony was brilliant totally enjoyed it – Rio have a hard act to follow in fairness !!
Good gig, but why wasn’t Cliff Richard included, more entitled than many of them parading tonight, Kate moss an example!
Get well soon, Jim. You may well be correct. If you are correct, in that Britain has won more medals than the USA, per capita and if Ireland has won more medals per capita than Britian, then it would follow, by your logic that Ireland are the Olympic champions. That’s alright by me.
Well said Ireland clearly won the whole thing.
When you think of it GB were the winners by far, if the US has over 300 million people and the GB has about 66 million the GB won about 150 gold medals or their about. Right I’m way of with the calculations here but does this make sense to anybody. Please go easy on the red thumbs, I been in bed sick for over a week and I’m sensitive lol.
aww poor you
Crap closing ceremony just like the opening.
Another jealous heart!
What a stupid thing to say. Why would I be jealous
What exactly was crap about it?? You should be man enough to give credit where it’s due, it was a great Olympics from start to finish!
Loved the Olympics, great opening ceremony, great sport , great venues, great drama.
However, thought the closing ceremony was awful.
Just a big concert that was like a free compilation CD you’d get in a newspaper.
That was a great Olympics. Everything was organised perfectly. Rio has a lot to live up to if it wants to be as good as these Olympics
I really enjoyed the after party last nite, v well put together, sum great artists, they went all out and put on a great show! Well done London 2012
Well done London – that was a simply outstanding olympics, from start to finish. Great job.
Also, possible picture caption: If you ever call me “Katie, as in Katie with an ‘ie’ from like Bray, of all places” again, I will knock you out. Now smile.
how good would it b if Katie and rob k started breeding… get to it guys!! :-D
Lads can I just ask one thing haha, we were all watching it last night in my house and awaited the Brazilian show eagerly, expecting samba and energy etc. we all thought the same thing after they had finished. Did anyone else think they should definitely have played that do do do do song with the trumpets? Ha
Samba de Janeiro??