I have only a few hours to remember the outstanding performances and moments of magic which combined to make the 2012 London Olympics one of greatest sporting periods in the history of Team GB before the opening ceremony of London Paralympics 2012. I failed to even complete this first consideration of the Medal winners and their backgrounds because of the way the Paralympics has caught everyone’s imagination as much as the Olympics, and because the need to also devote time to other matters.
I am going to begin with the most surprisingly enjoyable gold medal performance of Nicola Adams, the down to earth 29 year old female boxer who knocked down the World Number one Ren Cancan from China in the Fly weight contest, the first of the three Gold medals to be awarded women for the first time at the 2012 Games. That she is the first female Olympic Boxing champion will remain a historical fact as well as the manner of her victory and her great smile of enjoyment and triumph at the success. I have expressed my reservation about professional boxing because of the involvement of criminal and the fixing of fights as well as the existence of at least four organisations claiming to arrange World Title fights. I have also had reservations about the boxing as a suitable sport for women although I accepted this was not based on knowledge or experience.
There have been only a few British male boxers who achieved Gold the Olympic Games and some then as professional Gold Silver and Professional World Champion, James Degale 2008 Audley Harrison 2000 Gold medal. Chris Finnegan 1968 Gold, Terry Spinks and Ralph McTaggart 1956 Gold. The present day well known Amir Khan only won Silver as the youngest British winner in 2004, immediately turned professional gained a world title but has now suffered two defeats and expressed the view that he turned professional too early.
Nicola Adams born in Leeds was the first woman to represent England in 2001 and became an Amateur Champion in 2003 and in 2007 the first English woman to win a medal in major tournament silver in European championships to then take silver at the World in 2008 and again in 2010. She struggled to find funding to continue her amateur career working as an extra on Coronation Street and Eastenders and as a builder before the International Olympics Committee backed funding for women’s boxing and decided to award three medals in 2012. My understanding is that she plans to continue as an Amateur to the next World Championships and next Olympic games.
It is also my understanding that it was the first time Team GB gained three Gold medals at one Olympic Games in Boxing. Luke Campbell from Hull whose grandfather was an Irish champion, beat Ireland’s much fancied Joe Nevin to take the Gold, having qualified to represent GB after winning Silver at the 2011 World Championship.
Anthony Joshua had an extraordinary close fight in the super heavy class defeating the reigning Olympic and World Champion, to win Gold, having previously defeated the present Silver Medal World Champion in the semi finals. Joshua from North London turned down an offer of £50000 to turn professional in 2010 after winning the ABA championship title. Fred Evans from Wales won a silver medal and Anthony Ogogo from East Anglia a Bronze. I watched Anthony win his second round of 16 bouts at the Excel Arena when he defeated the current World Champion. The ten strong GB Boxing team of seven men and three women therefore won 6 medals, the most successful for 100 years and therefore can be assured of increased funding. Remarkably all the boxers gained the required standard to compete and therefore did not take up the places available for the Host nation.
It was also a first for ladies in the Rowing competition where 13 of the 14h crews qualified during the 2011 World Championships. Rowing was also a very successful sport with the combined team winning nearly twice as many medals as the second and one more gold 4 to 3. However this was because of the extraordinary the three female pairings.
Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins gained Gold in the Double Sculls and Helen Glover and Heather Standing Gold in the Coxless pair with Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hoskins Gold in the Lightweight double skulls, thus winning 3 of the 6 Golds available for the ladies, an amazing outcome given that GB had never won a Gold Medal before. Katherine Grainger MBE had gained Silver in the previous three Olympic Games and was previously World Champion seven times. Her partner Anna Watkins won a bronze medal in 2008 and is a four times World Champion. She is presently studying for a PhD in Mathematics. It was a moving achievement for Katherine who has been such an inspiration for women rowers for two decades.
It was Heather Stanning, who perhaps typified the extraordinary achievement of women at the Games, a Captain in the Royal Artillery she has announced she will return to duty later this year after being given leave of absence in 2010 to train for the games. She will prepare for a tour in Helmond Province Afghanistan. With her partner Helen Glover they enter the record books as the first ladies to win Gold for team GB. The story of her partner is already legendry as she only commenced to row in 2008 after being invited to be assessed following a social meeting in a pub. Helen was in fact a successful athlete having played various sports at the famous Millfield School in Somerset running Internationally as a Junior and was part of the Satellite squad for Hockey, She gave up a post as a PE teacher after qualification at Plymouth University College, having come second at the World Rowing event in 2010 and a Gold medal winner in the 2011 World Cup event.
There has been less publicity about the two other ladies who achieved the historic Gold medal success which will prove difficult to equal in Rio in 2016. The two women have connections with the North East. Sophie Hoskins is the daughter of a competitor in the 2009 Atlantic race David Hoskin MBE formerly an officer in the Royal Navy and who won a Gold medal in the 1980 World Championships. Sophie attended Durham University graduating in in Chemistry and Physics in 2007 after school in Kingston in Surrey. She has previously played football for Wimbledon AFC. The pride of the North East rests with Katherine Copeland who was the partner of Sophie as women’s light weight double sculls Olympic Champions born in Ashington and a member of the Stockton on Tees Rowing Club. As a teacher she runs a school of art for autistic children in association with the Three Wings Trust.
Such was the success of the men’s rowing team in the Olympics 2008 that there was disappointment within the team when Silver or Gold was the outcome in some events at Eton Dorney where the events were held.
The coxed Eight gained a Bronze after almost giving up when they failed in their attempt to gain the Gold from the winners. Part of their disappointment was because of the involvement of 40 year old former Olympic Champion Greg Searle in the boat who had returned to competitive rowing in 2010. He holds a Gold medal with his brother in 1992 and in the World Championships in 1993, with a Bronze in Atlanta in 1996 and a Bronze in the World in 1997. In 2000 he was fourth Sydney Olympics and joined the British Team in the America’s Cup contest in 2002. His motivation was to inspire his children Josie and Adam, born after his previous successes.
There was also disappointment for Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter in the Lightweight double skull when they finished second and gained Silver Medals. Zac won Gold in Beijing and has Four Gold, a Silver and Bronze at World Championships and six Golds at World Cups with three Silvers and one Bronze. His sister was an Olympic Athlete and his long term partner where they recently become engaged was also a former pupil and rower at the Kings School in Worcester which I noted on my visit to watch Cricket in the City two years ago and where the playing fields are adjacent to the ground, noting the large number of pupils participating in sports throughout the day and early evening. ZAc’s rowing partner Mark Hunter from London shared the Beijing Gold Medal and has a number of World and World Cup Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals.
Alan Campbell won Bronze in the Single Sculls. Campbell from Northern Ireland left University before completing a degree to concentrate on rowing after winning the Diamond Sculls at Henley in 2003. He did not fulfil his potential until London 2012, nine years later after being ill with a virus before the 2008 games. He has one World Cup Gold and a Silver and two Bronze in World Championships
George Nash who won bronze in Coxless pair was educated at Winchester and is studying for an Engineering degree at Cambridge. His partner William Satch was educated at Shiplake College Henley on Thames.
The only success in terms of a Gold medal for the men in the Coxless Four with Andrew Trigg Hogg, winning his second Gold Medal to that in Beijing, two Gold, three Silver and one Bronze World Championship as well as thirteen World Cup Golds three Silver and two Bronze. He took part in the Boat Race for Oxford with a degree in Environmental Science at Staffordshire University followed by a Masters at Oxford in Water Science and Management.
One of the other boat members Tom James had greater Boat Race experience this time for Cambridge four times 2003 to 2007 and where his degree was in Engineering. He also won his first Gold in Beijing, with a Gold in World Championship, four World Cups and two Silver. The third member Alex Gregory was a reserve in Beijing after which he won several Golds in World Championships, grew up in Cheltenham and graduated from Reading University. Peter Reed, the fourth member was born in Seattle until his family moved to England, taking up rowing at university in the West of England before taking a masters in science at Oxford University where he became a member of a successful Boat Race crew. He also won his first with Gold and Silver Medals in World Champions and World Cups Gold in Beijing. He joined the Royal Navy in 2001 and is now a Lieutenant.
Associated with the rowing are athletes who race in Canoes and Kayaks with Eton Dorney used for the Sprint events and a special new location the Lee Valley White Water centre for Slalom events. There were 3 men’s and one women’s White Water events with two two man British crews in the C2 event coming first and second.
The winning team of Timothy Baillie and Etienne Scott had less of a record than the winners of the Silver and were surprised by their success which understandably disappointed the runners up. Timothy Baillie comes from Scotland but obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Nottingham University where is located the National Water Sports Centre. His Partner Etienne also studied mechanical science at Nottingham, born in Manchester David Florence was also at Nottingham University studying Mathematical Physics and also comes from Scotland. He had won Silver in 2008 in the C1 category and then applied to become an Astronaut with the European Space Agency. Only four of the 8400 applicants were selected of which he was not one.
At Eton Dorney Ed McKeever won Gold in thee Men’ K1 200 metre event having previously become World Champion in 2011 and a World Cup winner earlier this year. From Somerset he is studying to become an accountant after a degree in accountancy at Kingston University. John Schofield achieved Bronze with Liam Heath
The other Water based Sport at the Games was Sailing with events held at Weymouth in Dorset. This is the least spectator friendly event although this year every effort was made to encourage public participation with a designated viewing area and a large screen with commentary. It was not expected that the team would be able to match their success at Beijing with F4 Golds a Silver and a Bronze and the big question was could Ben Ainsley become the first competitor to win four Gold medals in successive Sailing Olympics (2000, 2004, 2008 and now 2012 plus a Silver in 1996. Ben captained a boat in the Round the World race in 1973 and has become an MBE, OBE and CBE following his achievements. At London he started slowly as his tendency but was behind a competitor series of races from Denmark for most of the series with result in doubt until the last race to determine the medals. He as the first of the 8000 Torch bearers at Land’s End and was selected by other British Competitors to carry the Flag at the Closing ceremony.
Ben was the only British competitor to win Gold. The most interesting story is that of Wind Surfer Nick Dempsey who wife Sarah (nee Ayton was a Gold Medal Winner in 2008 and 2004. They married two months after the Beijing and now have son to which Nick has dedicated his Silver Medal. The couple announced that Sarah will return to sailing with Nick looking after their son. Sarah recovered from Meningitis at the age of 14 years.
Saskia Clark won Silver with Hannah Miles in the 470 Class having started sailing when she was Eight Years of age something which was also situation for Hannah.
Andrew Simpson won a Silver whereas in 2008 he won a Gold having been educated at Pangbourne College. His partner, Ian Percy won Gold in Sydney 2000 as well as at Beijing as well as World Championships in 2002 and 2010. Both are OBE’s. Stuart Bithell won Silver in 470 class with Luke Patience. I have been unable to find more info on the Sailors.
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