Running Cold
Monday 6th August 2012
The stadium scoreboard forecasts an evening of "British 'summer' " weather (their quote marks). It's overcast, there's rain in the air, the wind's gusting, allegedly 19C, feels more like 15. Seems like the British summer has arrived on this "Ladies Night" of Olympic athletics. Five of seven events will feature women, given the fashion for short shorts and crop tops the British summer may be keenly felt.
In front of us the 200m runners take their marks, just beyond them the pole vaulters are leaping and on the far side of the field the finalists in the shot put do their stuff. Everyone of them rugged-up against the cold. The stadium itself is cauldron like. Tall, steep stands enclose the field of play. At the far end the Olympic Flame burns brightly if modestly. The cauldron so splendidly assembled during the opening ceremony looks almost small and insignificant against the backdrop of two vast TV screens. No towering mast to hold the Olympic flame aloft for all to see, it's a little disappointing.
Pole vaulting is the first event to begin and last to finish; which is nice for us sat only a running track's width from the landing pit. It's soon clear that eight of the twelve competitors are really only making the numbers up. They come in at 4.30m and are out by 4.55m as the best in the world are just getting started - blustery conditions cannot be helping these girls. First and second clear 4.75m, which looks rather high. USA's Jennifer Suhr takes gold ahead of Cuba's Yarisley Silva on count-back. Across the field Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus puts the shot 21.36m to wipe out the field by two feet in the old money.
Meanwhile on the track a procession of women come out to race for a place in the 200m semis. Flying out of their blocks the girls disappear around the bend in a collage of colourful national strips. Next, the ground staff make a show of putting out the 400m hurdles with synchronised precision, not being Beijing it's a little ragged. The women's semis are first, then the men are allowed out to play in their final. Brit Danny Greene is cheered from start to fourth, though the crowd is won over by Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez floods of tears on the winner's podium. The women take over the track for the 3,000m steeplechase before the men return for the last race of the day: 400m flat. There's an Aussie in this one and our American neighbours sportingly offer us their support as for a change there are no US athletes in a final. It doesn't help though as the Caribbean cleans-up and the Australian comes last.
So we head out into Olympic Park. It's pretty dead, the megastore has been stripped bare, it's cold, it's dark, the British summer has won.
(Footnote: whatever we said to Michael Diamond on Sunday didn't help. Leading with 75/75 he finished fourth with a final round of 20/25).
Photo: the Olympic flame is too far away to offer much heat on a chilly night.
Monday 6th August 2012
The stadium scoreboard forecasts an evening of "British 'summer' " weather (their quote marks). It's overcast, there's rain in the air, the wind's gusting, allegedly 19C, feels more like 15. Seems like the British summer has arrived on this "Ladies Night" of Olympic athletics. Five of seven events will feature women, given the fashion for short shorts and crop tops the British summer may be keenly felt.
In front of us the 200m runners take their marks, just beyond them the pole vaulters are leaping and on the far side of the field the finalists in the shot put do their stuff. Everyone of them rugged-up against the cold. The stadium itself is cauldron like. Tall, steep stands enclose the field of play. At the far end the Olympic Flame burns brightly if modestly. The cauldron so splendidly assembled during the opening ceremony looks almost small and insignificant against the backdrop of two vast TV screens. No towering mast to hold the Olympic flame aloft for all to see, it's a little disappointing.
Pole vaulting is the first event to begin and last to finish; which is nice for us sat only a running track's width from the landing pit. It's soon clear that eight of the twelve competitors are really only making the numbers up. They come in at 4.30m and are out by 4.55m as the best in the world are just getting started - blustery conditions cannot be helping these girls. First and second clear 4.75m, which looks rather high. USA's Jennifer Suhr takes gold ahead of Cuba's Yarisley Silva on count-back. Across the field Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus puts the shot 21.36m to wipe out the field by two feet in the old money.
Meanwhile on the track a procession of women come out to race for a place in the 200m semis. Flying out of their blocks the girls disappear around the bend in a collage of colourful national strips. Next, the ground staff make a show of putting out the 400m hurdles with synchronised precision, not being Beijing it's a little ragged. The women's semis are first, then the men are allowed out to play in their final. Brit Danny Greene is cheered from start to fourth, though the crowd is won over by Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez floods of tears on the winner's podium. The women take over the track for the 3,000m steeplechase before the men return for the last race of the day: 400m flat. There's an Aussie in this one and our American neighbours sportingly offer us their support as for a change there are no US athletes in a final. It doesn't help though as the Caribbean cleans-up and the Australian comes last.
So we head out into Olympic Park. It's pretty dead, the megastore has been stripped bare, it's cold, it's dark, the British summer has won.
(Footnote: whatever we said to Michael Diamond on Sunday didn't help. Leading with 75/75 he finished fourth with a final round of 20/25).
Photo: the Olympic flame is too far away to offer much heat on a chilly night.
