Lenny Boyle
No Gold Rush For Team GB But Still Olympic Moments To Cherish
31/07/2012
Slow and steady wins the race. At least that’s what Team GB and the rest of the British nation will be hoping about Olympic medal prospects going forward.
There hasn’t exactly been a gold rush for the Great Britain Olympic team. At time of writing Team GB sits 20th in the medals table with four medals in total. Two silver and two bronze.
But at this still - relatively - early stage of proceedings there is still no cause for alarm. Although glancing along the medals table to see tiny totalitarian state the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) in fourth place, is a tad off putting for supporters of Team GB.
(Why is it always the most oppressive nations with inclusive sounding names like Democratic People’s Republic. Oh the people are in charge. OK we believe you)
What may be even slightly more galling is the current number three spot held by GB’s rivals for the 2012 games; France. Their seven medal haul, including three Golds, is impressive to say the least.
China and the United States sit in positions one and two and will sit there, no doubt, for the remainder of the competition. Despite the current performance enhancing drugs controversy bubbling up between the teams. With a top U.S. swimming official stating he believes 16 year old Ye Shiwen’s Gold medal swim was ‘unbelievable’ and therefore completely suspect.
Tom Daley and his partner Pete Waterfield were remarkable in their attempt at synchronised diving gold. They led the pack after two dives but their third brought them down to sixth position. And with divers above them, especially the Chinese, Mexican and Americans not slipping up; it proved impossible to get back into medal position. They finished fourth. The toughest position of all.
The staging of the competition itself has been a great success for London 2012 and the organising committee. And their have been great moments in competition to cherish for Team GB.
Of the two silvers in Team GB’s possession, Lizzie Armistead won the first on day two of the games. In the Women’s Road Race she did what the men unfortunately could not - with the rest of the peloton offering absolutely no assistance whatsoever for the wildly successful British men’s team.
Lizzie finished second to The Netherlands' Marianne Vos who is widely regarded as the finest cyclist of her generation. So it was a remarkable achievement from Armistead.
The other silver came in the equestrian team eventing competition in which royal connection Zara Phillips - the Queen’s granddaughter - helped her team to silver behind the Germans in gold.
The two bronzes came from swimming sensation Rebecca Adlington, in her weakest event. So still more hope for Adlington. And the men’s Team GB gymnastic team who won silver under their leader Louis Smith. Smith is one of the home-grown stars of the tournament so far.
So no gold rush, as yet. But still some shining moments to savour. And we still have the velodrome to come. Count your blessings for that.
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