2012: Destination London?

Happy New Year! 
I am incredibly excited about what 2012 may bring for Laura and myself. As I write this on 1st January there are so many unknowns and possibilities that might present themselves to us this year and I have no doubt that our future will be determined by what happens in 2012. With a  date set for us to head off travelling in August 2013, we have 20 months to prepare.  

Whereas normally I would be excited about what the year ahead will bring in terms of future travels, 2012 means that one of the things that I am most excited about is happening on my doorstep and won't require any travelling.  
The Olympic Games are coming to London baby! 

Actually they are coming even closer, the Olympic Mountain Biking is taking place approximately four miles from our house and if any of you are familiar with the topography or geology of South Essex you will understand the irony. The 'mountain' biking course is taking place on what is essentially the old river bank of the Thames. Disappointingly we couldn't get tickets for that event. 
However, we did get tickets for an Olympic event, an evening of athletics at the Olympic Stadium on the night of 9th August. See below:

Yes, we have tickets for the men's 200m final! Not only that though, the same evening of athletics will also have the 800m men's final, men's triple jump final, last two events of the men's decathlon plus women's javelin final. 
Having avidly watched the athletics at every Olympic Games since L.A. in 1984, I am sure you will understand my excitement. 
Could I witness the first man to break the 19 second barrier for the 200m?
As a Brit, my top Olympic moments are easy to remember. In no particular order they are:  

1. Daley Thompson gold in 1984 (L.A.)
2. Linford Christie & Sally Gunnell golds in 1992 (Barcelona)
3. Coe vs Ovett in 1984 (L.A.)
4. Usain Bolt breaks both 100m & 200m world records for gold in 2008 (Beijing)
5. Ben Johnson runs 9.79 to smash world record for 100m and later is stripped of gold medal and world record for doping. Carl Lewis awarded gold and new WR of 9.92 in 1988 (Seoul)
6. Derek Redmond being helped to the finish line by his dad after pulling his hamstring in 1992 (Barcelona)
7. Michael Johnson smashing a third of a second off the 200m men's world record to record 19.32 in 1996 (Atlanta)
8. Jonathan Edwards and Denise Lewis gold medals in 2000 (Sydney).
9. Seeing my old university mate Anthony Borsumato in the 400m hurdles in 2000 (Sydney).
10. Kelly Holmes double and GB men's 4 x 100m relay golds in 2004 (Athens)   
11. Steve Redgrave's 5 golds in 5 games haul. An absolutely incredible feat.

I have had the privilege of meeting a few Olympians in my time. My first 'real' experience of the Olympics was in September 1984 when in my first assembly as a Year 7 (1st Year old money), Sarah Hardcastle's Los Angeles swimming silver and bronze medals were passed around the year group. Sarah was there because she was in Year 11 (5th Year) at my school and had won them as a 15 year old at the Olympics. While she was quite anonymous to most of the kids at school, because of my love of sport and the Olympics, I used to get all excited when passing her in the corridors. Looking back, every assembly from that moment was an anti-climax. Also, knowing many of the people in my year group later, its miraculous that she got them back. Incidentally, it was her mum who taught me how to swim along with many others including Olympian Mark Foster apparently. 
Another Olympian is my old university mate, Anthony Borsumato who I watched make it to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 in the 400m men's hurdles. I remembered back to our time at university and his total dedication to athletics which meant he didn't go out drinking much. I really admired him for that. 
The final Olympian I have known is Mary Green (nee Tagg) who got to the semi final of the women's 400m in Mexico 1968. She is a lovely lady and very modest with her Olympic story as I found out when I was speaking to her about it when we worked together at a school in Southend.

In my travels I have visited four 'modern' Olympic stadiums in addition to the site at Olympia, Greece where the Olympics are believed to have started in 776 BC. I visited Olympia in 2003.
The pictures show the entrance to the stadium, the 'tunnel' or walkway and finally the 'track' area where the games would take place. Events for men would take place naked. Laura thinks it's a pity this tradition is not being continued. 

In 1999 I was one of the thousands who took part in the great stadium walk when living in Sydney. The middle picture shows me with Tracey and Fiona who I shared a house with. 

In 2001 I visited the 1976 Montreal Olympic stadium which was then being used as a baseball stadium for the Montreal Expos. 

The next Olympic stadium I visited was in Berlin in 2008. The stadium had been renovated and was very impressive. This was the stadium that American athlete Jesse Owens excelled in, winning four gold medals in 1936. The story is famous because Owens was black and Adolf Hitler had intended to use the Olympic games in 1936 to showcase Aryan supremacy.

The last Olympic stadium I visited was in Munich in September 2011 which was the athletics stadium for the 1972 Olympics... and also for England's 5-1 demolition of Germany in 2001. The picture is of me and my mate Sam on our Oktoberfest trip and below that in my Tottenham Hotspur shirt on the pitch. 

I have also visited a winter Olympics site in Oslo. Below is the ski jump which was used in the Winter Olympic Games in 1952.

As you can imagine I am really looking forward to visiting my fifth Olympic Stadium only this time it will be during the Olympics. 2012 will provide a truly once in a lifetime event. I hope that it goes off successfully and that we can be proud of our country hosting the greatest show on earth.   


UPDATE: After writing this blog I was offered a role as a drummer in the opening ceremony of the Olympics and as an on field marshal for opening and closing ceremonies. Here's what happened next...

Part 1 - Auditions
http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/my-story-london-2012-olympic-opening.html


Part 2 - First Rehearsals 

http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/my-story-london-2012-olympic-opening_29.html

Part 3 - Final Rehearsals and the big night
http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/my-story-london-2012-olympic-opening_30.html


As a spectator - http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/destination-london-watching-history.html

Closing Ceremony - http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/my-story-london-2012-olympics-closing.html