Woo-Hoo! Dame Rebecca, as the swimmers are calling her, did it! 2 Golds and a shattered world record (19 years to the day after it was set!) into the process for Adlington. She may have been 'who she' a week ago, but won't be any longer - especially with a conk like that!
I was in something a dilemma, having dozed off on the sofa and waking up around 1.30 - to go to bed or not to go to bed? I decided not to, and started watching the coverage - but dozed off again & woke up at 3.20, wondering why there was no swimming. Then I realised -bloody live pause! Hit the stop button, and it cut back to live coverage - which was just in time for the last 25m - so at least I saw the magic moment of victory. Will Buckley quick off the mark with a good article...
"It was in London in 1908 that Henry Taylor became the first and, until yesterday, last Briton to win more than one gold in the pool, Taylor winning three. As for the present, Adlington is the Kelly Holmes of this Games, the double winner who sprung from nowhere. The difference, of course, is that Holmes was in the sunset of her career while Adlington's is just dawning. Come the future, in 2012, Holmes will be in an ambassadorial role on the wings while Adlington, who won the 400m earlier in the week, will be on centre stage in the starring role."
Phelpsy meanwhile got his 7th and equalled Spitz by, quite liderally, a fingertip, 1/100th of a second - having been in 7th place at the turn in the 100m Butterfly. Can't say fairer that that - the lad's an Olympic Swimming Legend - but he's also a lucky one! Got to feel for Cavic, whose dreams of becoming a sports trivia question went up in smoke because he was floating in, while Phelpsy was mid stroke, finishing faster, and smashed into the closing pad...He didn't break the world record though - loser. If he was a country, he'd be 4th in the medal table.
Then a Brazilian only goes and wins the 50m free - to wake or not to wake? Think I'll let her sleep and show her the race, as live, all 22 seconds worth, later...they will be going bonkers in the homeland though. First ever Swimming Gold - and he's only the 10th individual champion, 14th overall. It got VERY dusty on the rostrum, and he got a standing ovation from the crowd, he was booing that much. That's what we want to see, just like old Hugo said yesterday - it means something!
Sotherton watch - body language is poor, she had a shocking long jump, nowhere near a personal lifetime best evah, and going backwards - now 5th. Got to be all over, with the Jav to come, and her rivals competing like they actually want to win. Darren Campbell pretty critical on the radio, all very well talking the talk before the tournaments, but then you have to walk the walk. She doesn't have the right mindset to be a champion - what's she doing going a lie detector to prove she wants to win - shouldn't need to - etc etc...
The radio are that much more honest and less fawning than the telly, though at least Edwards has said her performance is lacklustre. The idiotic other bloke - just burbles on about her lifetime best in the 2 events yesterday.
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