I was meant to be at a party for some 30 people yesterday. I swapped it for a party for 80,000 people at the Olympic Stadium. On the one hand I didn’t want to disappoint my friends who organised the party ages ago. On the other hand, when will I ever have another chance to see Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and other top athletes – breaking world records – in the same place at the same time?
The decision was therefore slightly painful, but in the end Usain and Mo won (sorry, Cath). It was a real privilege to witness the 5000m men’s finals, 4x400m women’s finals and the 4x100m men’s finals with this awesome crowd at the Olympic Stadium.
The deafening roar that accompanied both Usain Bolt and Mo Farah was simply astounding. I have never experienced anything like that. And to witness both men (and let’s not forget about the mind-blowingly fast women – see pic below) right there was just – cliche alert! – a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thanks Lawrence for making this possible.
The 5000m final was particularly exciting as Mo, rather worryingly, stayed at the very back initially.
And even though we all knew this was his usual strategy and he would eventually switch to his magic 6th gear, it was a bit disconcerting to see him bringing up the rear.
But after a few laps he moved closer to the middle of the group…
…only to become a clear leader as he approached the finish line.
What an amazing man.
And then there was Usain and his crew.
Joking before the race and striking his trademark pose several times during his lap of honour. While being chased by what seemed like three-quarters of the world’s media:
While many kept doing ‘the Bolt’ all evening, others just relied on inflatable replicas. Lazy buggers.
And as always, the atmosphere at the stadium was phenomenal and carnival-like. A truly amazing evening.
Cath, will you ever forgive me? Hope the garden party was a roaring success…
See also: the London 2012 Opening Ceremony in pictures and the Olympic Park in pictures.