‘Rule Britannia’ in athletics

LONDON – Great Britain enjoyed an historic night at the athletics on Saturday when for the first time in Olympic history they won three gold medals – all coming within a remarkable hour.

Poster girl Jessica Ennis won the heptathlon to revive memories of the roar that greeted Australian icon Cathy Freeman when she won 400m gold in Sydney in 2000.

Somalian-born Mo Farah completed his extraordinary journey by adding Olympic gold to the world title he gained last year — and then celebrated with his daughter Rhianna and wife Tania, who is expecting twins within weeks.

In between Greg Rutherford had collected gold in the long jump with a leap of 8.31m and the fact it was the shortest winning leap since fellow Briton Lynn Davies’s 8.07m in Tokyo in 1964 mattered little to the 25-year-old.

Other memorable moments saw Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce show her champion’s credentials when it mattered after an indifferent season as she defended her 100 metres crown to become the first since Gail Devers in 1992 and 1996 to do so.

China walks to gold

China had double reason to celebrate in an event they had previously never won a medal in, the men’s 20 kilometres walk, as Chen Ding took gold and Wang Zhen took bronze.

Guatemala too saw history made as walk runner-up Erick Barrondo gave the impoverished crime-ridden country their first ever Olympic medal in any sport.

However, it was Britain’s night, the tone set by an impeccable Ennis, who erased the disappointment of missing the Beijing Games in 2008 through injury in the best possible fashion by winning in the land of her birth.

She didn’t let up even to the end as she delighted the home supporters by storming down the final straight to win her 800 metres race and then draped herself in the Union Jack.

“I am so shocked I can’t believe it,” a tearful Ennis said. “After the javelin I didn’t let myself believe it.

“After all the hard work and disappointment of Beijing, everyone has supported me so much. They said ‘go for another four years’, and I’ve done that.

“I’m going to savour the moment. I’ve had great support although I’ve been under a huge amount of pressure.”

That support manifested itself later as almost all the 80,000 spectators stayed on for her medal ceremony and produced a stirring rendition of God Save The Queen.

Briton outruns the mighty Africans

Farah, whose schoolboy athletics career got off to an inauspicious start when he set off in the wrong direction in his first race, produced a regal performance which saw him outfox the tactical running of the Kenyans and Ethiopians.

In winning he deprived Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele of an historic third successive Olympic title. Bekele could only finish fourth as brother Tariku took bronze.

Farah’s training partner Galen Rupp took a surprise silver for the United States.

“It’s never going to get better than this, this is the best moment of my life,” said 29-year-old Farah, who also performed a joyous jig with the Games mascot.

“It’s been an incredible journey,” added Farah, who could not speak a word of English when he arrived in England aged eight.

Rutherford, who at one point thought of taking up football and trying to emulate his great great grandfather Jock who played for England from 1904-08, said the contrast with four years ago was enormous.

“It’s the most amazing feeling in the world. Four years ago I had a terrible time, my gran died, but now tonight happens and I even saw my parents in the crowd,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in properly. I knew I wanted to be an athlete and I knew I wanted to be Olympic champion.” – Agence France-Presse