Miss Anne Thrope

I'm starting this as the exisiting Olympics thread is a wonderful mixed-up bloated throbbing enormity about to burst. And it's a moment-by-moment catalogue of sentiment. Now that the games are almost over, there is a chance to stand back, reflect over all of it and identify some highlights.

What was the most eye-catching performance of the whole Olympics and why?

For me, the outstanding performance, just nudging out David Rudisha's perfectly majestic 800m run, was the US women's sprint relay victory. I have to say I was cheering for the Jamaicans but the Americans ran a flawless relay, maximising the benefit of the format as well as performing a quartet of impeccable individual runs. It was only this combination that enabled them to absolutely smash the testosterone-tainted old East German 1980's record.

Too often the relay becomes a sorry tale of individual talents squandered by messed-up handovers, failure to grasp the essential nature of the challenge (or just failure to grasp the bloody baton). Instead, the four American women in this years race each nailed their own runs and executed the best handovers I've ever seen in four decades of watching athletics. They won by an enormous margin for a 4x100m race and still the Jamaicans in second place also beat their own national record and almost beat the old world record.

As much as I'd naturally tend to pick a more outside choice - the Trinidadian javelin thrower or the Bahamian men's 4x400m team, say - it is impossible to deny the individual brilliance and seamless teamwork that delivered this extraordinary result. And while US women sprinters are normally among the gilded aristocracy of the games, I think this achievement has been a bit unfairly overlooked on this occasion.

Autonomy

I'd thought about posting a thread like this but then worked out there are just too many to pick from and how do you choose....

I'd pretty much thought David Rudisha in the 800m - lead from gun to finish in a world record time was the single greatest race.

So many others though, Farah, Bolt doubles and triples.

Hoy, Wiggins and Ainslie as GB greatest medal winners ever...

commander

Rudisha: he was the odds on 'bet your house on this' favourite. He was a lot more of a 'cert' than Bolt. However the way he ran the race and bagged a WR was amazing.

Wiggins time trial for me was THE performance. To beat the world TT champion Tony Martin by over 30 seconds over such a short distance 43K (If I recall correctly) was something else.

Miss Anne Thrope

Better than Jason Kenny finally confounding his nemesis Gregory Bauge having never won a leg from him before? Better than Jason Kenny nailing Laura Trott even??? (It's true apparently....)

Bob

Love how so many nations got a medal, something like 82 nations got on the table.

Some great stories of those running stateless, like the chap in the marathon who had only run 2 previously, but both within qualifying times.

The chap from Rwanda in the mountain biking, who witnessed 6 of his brothers being killed as a kid. Doesn't matter that he came in 39th place of something like 42 finishing riders.

All these great stories that haven't necessarily taken top billing have been great and what the olympics are really about, how everyday folks from painters, binmen, bankers, doctors, whatever have competed in various sports.

Karlos The Jackal

Biased I know but it has to be Wiggins for me, TDF and Olympic time trial!

Some fantastic perfomances though and credit to all.

Downside, I was distraught when the lovely Victoria Pendleton failed to win the sprint. Would have been a fantastic way to bow out and enter her retirement

Upside, Team Yorkshire won far more Golds than the Aussies! Fantastic!

britexpat76

Copied this from BBC Sport, I watched this in Amazement and gold and silver train together and the looks on their faces was amazing. They were not fancied at all and destroyed a team that had never won less than gold in 3 Olympics. One of our 1st Golds too.

Britain's Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott described their shock gold medal in the C2 double as "weird" and "mad" on a historic day for canoe slalom.
The duo produced the run of their lives to win Britain's first ever slalom gold medal , with team-mates David Florence and Richard Hounslow taking silver.
"To win is just mad and for David and Richard to finish second is just fantastic," said Baillie.
"It was electrifying and to come away with gold is a dream come true."

Ranked number six in the world, Baillie and Stott came into the canoe double event under the radar.
Slovakian brothers Pavol and Peter Hochschorner were undefeated in the last three Olympic finals, while Etienne underwent shoulder surgery just over a year ago.

Eva

Loved this too as they were sent in as the no hopers cos of slowest quali.time...they sat through all other five challengers including fellow Brits and Slovak champions to win in the end...Magnificent!

People say Federer dumbed down on the day...crapola.
Murray just made all his shots. Fantastic.

Ultimate:
Bow to : El Lawrence(Clarke)
He might not have been born by a river, but man, a change is gonna come.
x

Brains1983

Certainly wasn't George blimmin' Michael!

The Dean

A couple of good nominations already - I especially like the idea of a world record that finally took East Germany out of the record books for the final time. Brilliant baton changes? I didn't notice them - which sort of proves how good/smooth/perfect they must have been.

The rowers are a good choice too.

I'll go for Jessica Ennis. It was day two of the athletics, and there were still doubts about whether it was going to be a 'good' Games for GB. She was favourite (just), playing at home in front of expectant, demanding even, fans and fully expected not to let them down. To deliver not just a Gold, but break the UK record was a very special achievement.

[PS - she is also the UK record holder in two individual events - high jump and 100m hurdles - unheard of for a multi-events athlete]

Miss Anne Thrope

And not forgetting that she's a total babe in every sense... I have to say, far more appealing all around than the chilly Denise Lewis who always seemed to me more machine than human (not to mention her unorthodox training in the former East Germany....).

commander

I'd nail Laura Trott to be fair. Gold medal or no gold medal. She'd be honoured to know that.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...re-tracks.html

Bob

Wasn't her 100m time fast enough to have won gold, or was that gold for the Beijing Olympics?

Amusingly, the Brit bloke in what was it, 400m or 800m? Anyway, came last, but personal best and would have gotten gold at Beijing....gotta be a little depressing that

Still, one of the fav moments is the Otter, only having rowed a few months before the games began

The Dean

That was Beijing (she would have been fourth this time).

Can't agree with you on the no-hope-competitors - I've never forgotten the embarrassment of Eddie The Eagle...........

Miss Anne Thrope

In terms of stars being born, Kirani James, the young guy from Grenada - Grenada!: pop. 23 and a half - who demolished the 400m field will surely be a major figure for many years to come. He seemed so calm and humble also, especially when he ran over to insist on swapping tag numbers with a clearly befuddled Oscar Pistorius after their semi-final.