London Olympic Games 2012

I have to confess that I didn’t watch a minute of the Olympic Games from China the last time around.  As a kid I remember watching every second of the games. It was a while ago since I paid much attention to the action. I was prepared to let these Olympics pass by unnoticed until I came across a brilliant review of the opening ceremonies from London which made me sit up and take interest. Through the miracle of modern technology I was able to watch the opening ceremonies the day after and they were fantastic. Britons should be very proud of themselves.  I was proud for my British friends. Bravo! 

I’ve been plowing through videos of the track cycling for the past couple of days. I couldn’t imagine this being of interest to anyone other than cyclists. I love the power of the sport and consider myself to be somewhat of a sprinter as opposed to a distance rider. A Spanish rider actually ripped the saddle off his bike in one sprint. The keirin race is perhaps the oddest of all the modern Olympic events and the women's gold medal was taken by Great Britain's Victoria Pendleton in a thrilling display of power. Great Britain also took the gold as well as setting a new world record in the men's team pursuit against Australia. I'm exhausted just watching it. And why was Kobi Bryant in the stands watching the race?

I was lucky enough to have seen the men’s 10K race in a crowded bar that had the BBC feed on the television. It was a fine example of the best of what sport can be. The same can be said of the men’s 100M final last night which I watched in the same bar. Usain Bolt is once again the world’s fastest human being over this distance.  I missed all of the judo except the women’s 48K final with Sarah Menezes of Brazil taking the gold. She is a frighteningly good fighter. Her mat work was fantastic, as you would expect from the Brazilians who have reinvented jiu-jitsu in the last 30 years.

I don’t know what else I will watch but I’m just glad that I tuned in again to the Olympics.