Best Olympics moments so far
by Charlie Peverett in At home on 19.08.08
Shh, don’t tell - I’m keeping one ear on the Laoshan Velodrome as I write this. The chance to follow the Beijing Olympics from practically anywhere, at any time, has been in itself one the most thrilling aspects to the games - up there with Team GB’s dominance in the cycling.
In fact, there’s so much to watch - live, replayed and on-demand, online, via mobile, on the red button, through the looking glass - it’s exhausting. Even for those of near-athletic TV-watching ability such as myself.
So here’s my top five personal favourites, plus one or two Games-related links that haven’t made it onto the BBC Sports site.
5). Yelena Isinbayeva’s last attempt in the women’s pole vault - breaking her own world record for the third time this year.
4) Rebecca Adlington winning her second gold and smashing the world record in the 800m freestyle. When was the last time you saw a British swimmer, male or female, take the entire field apart?
3) GB did well in several rowing events, but it was - again - the men’s coxless fours that gave us the most thrilling race. Something about this event always gets you jumping up and down in front of the telly like your own dad. Brilliant.
2) Eight gold medals in eight days. Need we say any more? My favourite observation on Phelps’ performance was that he had individually won more golds in this Olympic Games than many countries manage with their entire squads.
1) Come on. Could it be anything but Usain Bolt, making the rest of the world’s best sprinters look sluggish in the 100m? Unreal.
And Olympics off-BBC…. (is there such a place?)
There have been some good sideways glances at the Olympics too. Bleacher Report’s five weirdest Olympics sports is instructive (no, I was not aware of the horse long jump event). And for a Japanese take on Beijing’s big success, try this clever piece of theatre.
And to prove beyond all resonable doubt that broadcasters no longer have a monopoly on great sports photography, check out the Olympics 2008 Beijing - Great Moments Captured! group on Flickr.
Oh, and by the time I’d finished writing this, Victoria Pendleton had swiped gold and so had Chris Hoy (his third). Phew, I’m exhausted. Time for my ice jacket.
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