Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda broke away from
two Kenyan rivals to win the men’s marathon near Buckingham Palace on
Sunday in front of vast crowds enjoying the climax to 16 days of Olympic
competition and drama.
After
running side by side with world champion Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang,
the 23-year-old put in a powerful kick to shake off the Kenyans six
kilometres from the end of the 42km race. He crossed the finish line
draped in the red, black and yellow Ugandan flag, which he knelt to
kiss.
The dense throngs that lined the route through central London on a sweltering day were a sign of the huge enthusiasm the Games have generated in a host country where many had been sceptical about the cost and potential disruption.
Britain’s best medal haul for a century, the record-breaking exploits of swimmer Michael Phelps and the sprint pyrotechnics of Usain Bolt, who won his third London gold when Jamaica smashed the 4 x 100 metres world relay record on Saturday, have made for a memorable Olympics.
“I will say history has been written by many athletes. The Games were absolutely fabulous. London has absolutely refreshed the Games,” International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge told reporters.
On the 16th and final day of competition, Cuba, Ukraine and Kazakhstan picked up golds for boxing and Japan and the United States for wrestling.
Hungarian Adrienn Toth was leading in the women’s modern pentathlon, a combination of fencing, swimming, horse riding, shooting and running, which was the last event due to finish.
Starting Sunday on 44 gold medals, six ahead of China, the United States were already unassailable at the top of the overall table and added a 45th when Jake Varner won the 96 kg freestyle wrestling.
They were looking to go one better as their basketball “Dream Team” defended the title against a Spanish team looking for revenge for defeat in the final at Beijing four years ago.
“We all know what’s on the line,” said U.S. player Kevin Durant. “They’re going to come out and give us their best shot. We got our work cut out for us.”
Women’s modern pentathlon will be the last event to round off the two-week extravaganza of sport before some of Britain’s best-known pop acts, including The Who and George Michael, play out the closing ceremony.
The U.S. basketball team will find it hard to top Saturday’s spectacle on the track when Bolt anchored the Jamaicans to relay gold and Britain’s Mo Farah claimed the 5,000 to go with his 10,000 title.
“CONFIDENCE BOOST”
Bolt added the relay crown to the ‘double double’ he won in the 100 and 200, defending both after his Beijing triumphs and writing his way into Olympic history as one of the finest – and zaniest – sprinters the world has known.
As he crossed the line, Bolt made his hands into an ‘M’ shape above his head – a nod to Farah’s famous celebration while the Briton later copied Bolt’s well-known lightning strike pose as two of the stand-out performers of the Games had fun.
Farah, contributing to Britain’s 28 golds, is the seventh man to win the 5,000 and 10,000 titles at the same Olympics.
British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed his heroics as well as the country’s response to the Games as a whole.
“It’s an enormous confidence boost about who we are as a country, what we can do, what we stand for, and the fact that we can make our way in a very tough and competitive world,” he said.
The final moments of Olympic glory in track and field on Saturday brought a close to an eventful penultimate day of the Games in which startling athletic prowess did not completely dominate the headlines.
China bowed out of the Games with a swipe at the critics who had accused teenage swimming sensation Ye Shiwen of doping after her times rivalled the top U.S. men.
Aged just 16, Ye set a world record, a Games record and won two gold medals in the women’s individual medleys, but her victories were overshadowed by questions and insinuations of cheating. There was no evidence that she had broken any rules.
The head of the Chinese delegation to London, Liu Peng, said the accusations were totally unfounded and stressed that China was strongly opposed to any doping “misbehaviour”.
“This is really unfair. This is groundless,” Liu told a news conference on Sunday.
“There are individuals and media that are accusing, unfounded, our Chinese athletes. These people should respect sporting persons’ dignity and their reputation.”
Syrian athlete Ghfran Almouhamad, who competed in the women’s 400 metres hurdles, on Saturday became the 11th athlete to be excluded from the Games since July 16 after testing positive for a banned substance.
On Sunday, two Egyptian wrestlers were disqualified for arriving late for the start of their competition. No one had told them that Sunday’s bouts started earlier than usual because of the closing ceremony later in the day.
“FEELGOOD GAMES”
Despite concerns about the creaky transport system and a shortfall of private security guards, which forced the government to call in thousands of extra troops to help screen visitors, the Games have so far passed by fairly trouble-free.
A furore over empty seats at several Olympic venues blew over, especially once the track and field showcase kicked in and drew capacity crowds.
Even the weather improved as the Games wore on. Bright sunshine has graced the closing weekend of a festival that has helped to lift the gloom in recession-hit Britain.
Cameron has tried to use the Olympics to woo investment to Britain, hoping they would give the economy a much-needed boost, although some London businesses complained that warnings about overcrowding from the Games had driven customers away.
The Spice Girls and One Direction are among those expected to play the closing ceremony as London prepares to bid goodbye to what The Guardian newspaper dubbed the “feelgood Games”.
As well as a “hit list” of more than 30 popular songs, the show will feature thousands of athletes and volunteers and a section devoted to the next summer Olympic hosts, Brazil.
“I think it’s a gift that we’ve got Rio next because their eight minutes is so wonderful and really full of that samba beat,” artistic director Kim Gavin said of the 2016 hosts.
After
running side by side with world champion Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang,
the 23-year-old put in a powerful kick to shake off the Kenyans six
kilometres from the end of the 42km race. He crossed the finish line
draped in the red, black and yellow Ugandan flag, which he knelt to
kiss.The dense throngs that lined the route through central London on a sweltering day were a sign of the huge enthusiasm the Games have generated in a host country where many had been sceptical about the cost and potential disruption.
Britain’s best medal haul for a century, the record-breaking exploits of swimmer Michael Phelps and the sprint pyrotechnics of Usain Bolt, who won his third London gold when Jamaica smashed the 4 x 100 metres world relay record on Saturday, have made for a memorable Olympics.
“I will say history has been written by many athletes. The Games were absolutely fabulous. London has absolutely refreshed the Games,” International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge told reporters.
On the 16th and final day of competition, Cuba, Ukraine and Kazakhstan picked up golds for boxing and Japan and the United States for wrestling.
Hungarian Adrienn Toth was leading in the women’s modern pentathlon, a combination of fencing, swimming, horse riding, shooting and running, which was the last event due to finish.
Starting Sunday on 44 gold medals, six ahead of China, the United States were already unassailable at the top of the overall table and added a 45th when Jake Varner won the 96 kg freestyle wrestling.
They were looking to go one better as their basketball “Dream Team” defended the title against a Spanish team looking for revenge for defeat in the final at Beijing four years ago.
“We all know what’s on the line,” said U.S. player Kevin Durant. “They’re going to come out and give us their best shot. We got our work cut out for us.”
Women’s modern pentathlon will be the last event to round off the two-week extravaganza of sport before some of Britain’s best-known pop acts, including The Who and George Michael, play out the closing ceremony.
The U.S. basketball team will find it hard to top Saturday’s spectacle on the track when Bolt anchored the Jamaicans to relay gold and Britain’s Mo Farah claimed the 5,000 to go with his 10,000 title.
“CONFIDENCE BOOST”
Bolt added the relay crown to the ‘double double’ he won in the 100 and 200, defending both after his Beijing triumphs and writing his way into Olympic history as one of the finest – and zaniest – sprinters the world has known.
As he crossed the line, Bolt made his hands into an ‘M’ shape above his head – a nod to Farah’s famous celebration while the Briton later copied Bolt’s well-known lightning strike pose as two of the stand-out performers of the Games had fun.
Farah, contributing to Britain’s 28 golds, is the seventh man to win the 5,000 and 10,000 titles at the same Olympics.
British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed his heroics as well as the country’s response to the Games as a whole.
“It’s an enormous confidence boost about who we are as a country, what we can do, what we stand for, and the fact that we can make our way in a very tough and competitive world,” he said.
The final moments of Olympic glory in track and field on Saturday brought a close to an eventful penultimate day of the Games in which startling athletic prowess did not completely dominate the headlines.
China bowed out of the Games with a swipe at the critics who had accused teenage swimming sensation Ye Shiwen of doping after her times rivalled the top U.S. men.
Aged just 16, Ye set a world record, a Games record and won two gold medals in the women’s individual medleys, but her victories were overshadowed by questions and insinuations of cheating. There was no evidence that she had broken any rules.
The head of the Chinese delegation to London, Liu Peng, said the accusations were totally unfounded and stressed that China was strongly opposed to any doping “misbehaviour”.
“This is really unfair. This is groundless,” Liu told a news conference on Sunday.
“There are individuals and media that are accusing, unfounded, our Chinese athletes. These people should respect sporting persons’ dignity and their reputation.”
Syrian athlete Ghfran Almouhamad, who competed in the women’s 400 metres hurdles, on Saturday became the 11th athlete to be excluded from the Games since July 16 after testing positive for a banned substance.
On Sunday, two Egyptian wrestlers were disqualified for arriving late for the start of their competition. No one had told them that Sunday’s bouts started earlier than usual because of the closing ceremony later in the day.
“FEELGOOD GAMES”
Despite concerns about the creaky transport system and a shortfall of private security guards, which forced the government to call in thousands of extra troops to help screen visitors, the Games have so far passed by fairly trouble-free.
A furore over empty seats at several Olympic venues blew over, especially once the track and field showcase kicked in and drew capacity crowds.
Even the weather improved as the Games wore on. Bright sunshine has graced the closing weekend of a festival that has helped to lift the gloom in recession-hit Britain.
Cameron has tried to use the Olympics to woo investment to Britain, hoping they would give the economy a much-needed boost, although some London businesses complained that warnings about overcrowding from the Games had driven customers away.
The Spice Girls and One Direction are among those expected to play the closing ceremony as London prepares to bid goodbye to what The Guardian newspaper dubbed the “feelgood Games”.
As well as a “hit list” of more than 30 popular songs, the show will feature thousands of athletes and volunteers and a section devoted to the next summer Olympic hosts, Brazil.
“I think it’s a gift that we’ve got Rio next because their eight minutes is so wonderful and really full of that samba beat,” artistic director Kim Gavin said of the 2016 hosts.
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