Olympic Update: Day 9
The Olympic Stadium was full and buzzing on Day 9 as the Track and Field competition heated up more than ever. Much of the buzz centered around what had happened the night before when the British won three Gold medals back-to-back-to-back. It made everyone in London that much more excited and the track would keep it rolling in Day 9 when the biggest event in the Olympics was on display. With so many different sports and events in the Olympics everyone has their favorite sport or event but one seems to grab everyone’s attention. This event is the Men’s 100m sprint as all Olympic fans are glued to the TV for the 10 seconds it takes to run the race. It is strange that this race is the highlight of every Summer Olympics as it is the shortest race in the entire track program. With the World record standing at 9.58 seconds the 100m is over in no time. Still with under 10 seconds of action the 100m remains the biggest draw of every Summer Olympics as the world looks to see who will be crowned the fastest man in the world. In fact this might be the main reason that this event is so popular, because it is a basic sport that has a clear winner who can be clearly named as the best in the world. Although world championships change hands throughout the years the one true test that many people look at as the measuring stick is the Olympics. For some it is the moment where they perform better than ever and for others the pressure is too much. For that reason the Olympic 100m final is the biggest event to happen every four years. As everyone looks on for the 10 seconds stars are born. With so many people watching it is only natural that the winner becomes a major star in his country and around the world. This is another reason why this event is popular as some of the biggest stars in the Olympics are made and race in the event. This makes everyone want to watch as these athletes are built up beforehand to see what they can do. In 2012 nothing changed as the 100m was once again the most talked about event of the Olympics. As the games approached Usain Bolt’s name was mentioned more and more as the defending Olympic Champion and World Record Holder. Bolt has been the biggest star of the Summer Olympics since he won in 2008 and has been one of the few athletes outside of the USA to translate that popularity into sports in general. Bolt has been among the top names in sports as one of the biggest people and in Jamaica he is nothing less than a national hero. Bolt was the most impressive sprinter in 2008 as he won the 100m in world record time and walked across the line. It was not only that he won the race but that he did it so easily against the best of the best in the Olympics. As the 2012 Olympics approached the focus shifted to Bolt again as he would get the chance to defend as the 100m champion and become only the third person ever to win the 100m back-to-back. He was not alone though in the talk as Bolt’s crown had a new challenger and it was his training partner. In the 2011 World Championships Yohan Blake made his name know winning the 100m final. It was somewhat hollow though as Bolt had been eliminated due to a false start making the race Blake’s to lose. Then came the 2012 Jamaican Olympic Trials where Blake was able to beat Bolt in the 100m becoming one of the few people to beat Bolt in the event. Now both sprinters looked to the Olympics to solve their rivalry on Day 9 of the London 2012 Games. As the fastest men in the Olympics lined up the anticipation was only getting bigger with nobody knowing what might happen. The gun went off and everyone got out clean with Bolt in his predictable slow start. Justin Gatlin, Yohan Blake, and Tyson Gay seemed to be beating Bolt but then the champion kicked into a new gear as his long stride kicked in. The Bolt ran out ahead of the pack while the battle for second just heated up between Gay, Gatlin, and Blake. Bolt crossed the line well ahead of the group but this time was really going for it running a 9.63 while Blake inched slightly ahead of the two Americans for Silver and Justin Gatlin taking the bronze ahead of his teammate. It was a thrilling race that once again proved to be the draw of the Games. With the race over Usain Bolt remains the fastest man in the world and the Games move on into the second week with plenty more stories to follow coming up including Bolt running the 200m and Bolt running with Blake in the 4x100m, as well as the 4x400m possibly according to Bolt. Although the premier event of the track is now over the Olympics move on with excitement and drama around every corner after Day 9.
The Canadian Story
Up and Down Day in Equestrian:
Eric Lamaze and Ian Millar both advanced to the third round of the Individual Jumping competition while helping the Canadian team to the finals but it wasn’t all great as a Canadian horse was disqualified from the competition
Diving Comes up Short:
Jennifer Abel and Emilie Heymans already have a medal for Canada in the synchronized competition but in their individual competition both struggled to be consistent as both divers missed out on the podium
Synchro Team in Good Standing:
The Synchronized swimming team of Marie-Pier Bodreau Gagnon and Elise Marcotte got their first taste of competition and now sit in fourth place after their technical program putting them in contention for a medal
Day 9 Medal Results
Artistic Gymnastics:
Men’s Floor Exercise
Gold- Zou Kai (China)
Silver- Kohei Uchimura (Japan)
Bronze- Denis Ablyazin (Russia)
Women’s Vault
Gold- Sandra Izbasa (Romania)
Silver- McKayla Maroney (USA)
Bronze- Maria Paseka (Russia)
Men’s Pommel Horse
Gold- Krisztian Berki (Hungary)
Silver- Louis Smith (Great Britain)
Bronze- Max Whitlock (Great Britain)
Athletics:
Women’s Marathon
Gold- Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia)
Silver- Priscah Jeptoo (Kenya)
Bronze- Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova (Russia)
Women’s Triple Jump
Gold- Olga Rypakova (Kazakhstan)
Silver- Caterine Ibarguen (Colombia)
Bronze- Olha Saladuha (Ukraine)
Men’s Hammer Throw
Gold- Krisztian Pars (Hungary)
Silver- Primoz Kozmus (Slovakia)
Bronze- Koji Murofushi (Japan)
Women’s 400m
Gold- Sanya Richards-Ross (USA)
Silver- Christine Ohuruogu (Great Britain)
Bronze- Dee Dee Trotter (USA)
Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase
Gold- Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya)
Silver- Mahiedine Mekhissi (France)
Bronze- Abel Kiprop Mutai (Kenya)
Men’s 100m
Gold- Usain Bolt (Jamaica)
Silver- Yohan Blake (Jamaica)
Bronze- Justin Gatlin (USA)
Badminton:
Men’s Singles
Gold- Lin Dan (China)
Silver- Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
Bronze- Chen Long (China)
Men’s Doubles
Gold- Yun Cai/Haifeng Fu (China)
Silver- Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (Denmark)
Bronze- Jae Sung Chung/Yong Dae Lee (South Korea)
Cycling:
Men’s Track- Omnium
Gold- Lasse Hansen (Denmark)
Silver- Brian Coquard (France)
Bronze- Edward Clancy (Great Britain)
Diving:
Women’s Individual 3m Springboard
Gold- Wu Mixia (China)
Silver- He Zi (China)
Bronze- Laura Sanchez Soto (Mexico)
Fencing:
Men’s Team Foil
Gold- Italy
Silver- Japan
Bronze- Germany
Sailing:
Men’s Star Class
Gold- Fredrik Loof/Max Salminen (Sweden)
Silver- Ian Percy/Andrew Simpson (Great Britain)
Bronze- Bruno Prada/Robert Scheidt (Brazil)
Men’s Finn Class
Gold- Ben Ainsile (Great Britain)
Silver- Jonas Hoegh-Christensen (Denmark)
Bronze- Jonathan Lobert (France)
Shooting:
Men’s 50m Pistol
Gold- Jing Jong-Oh (South Korea)
Silver- Choi Young-Rae (South Korea)
Bronze- Wang Zihwei (China)
Tennis:
Men’s Singles
Gold- Andy Murray (Great Britain)
Silver- Roger Federer (Switzerland)
Bronze- Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina)
Women’s Doubles
Gold- Venus Williams/Serena William (USA)
Silver- Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic)
Bronze- Nadia Petrova/Maria Kirilenko (Russia)
Mixed Doubles
Gold- Max Mirnyi/Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)
Silver- Andy Murray/Laura Robson (Great Britain)
Bronze- Lisa Raymond/Mike Bryan (USA)
Weightlifting:
Women’s +75kg
Gold- Zhou Lulu (China)
Silver- Tatiana Kashirina (Russia)
Bronze- Hripsime Khurshudyan (Armenia)
Wrestling:
Men’s Greco-Roman 74kg
Gold- Roman Vlasov (Russia)
Silver- Arsen Julfalakyan (Armenia)
Bronze- Emin Ahmadov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze- Aleksandr Kazakevic (Lithuania)
Men’s Greco-Roman 55kg
Gold- Hamid Mohammad Soryan Reihanpour (Iran)
Silver- Rovshan Bayramov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze- Peter Modos (Hungary)
Bronze- Mingiyan Semenov (Russia)
Day 10 Medal Events
Artistic Gymnastics:
Men’s Rings Final (9:00 am)
Women’s Uneven Bars Final (9:50 am)
Men’s Vault Final (10:41 am)
Athletics:
Women’s Pole Vault Final (2:00 pm)
Women’s Shot Put Final (2:15 pm)
Men’s 400m Hurdles Final (3:45 pm)
Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase Final (4:05 pm)
Men’s 400m Final (4:30 pm)
Cycling:
Men’s Track- Individual Sprint (12:43 pm)
Equestrian:
Team Jumping- Round 2 (9:00 am)
Sailing:
Women’s Laser Radial Class Medal Race (8:00 am)
Men’s Laser Class Medal Race (9:00 am)
Shooting:
Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Final (8:45 am)
Men’s Trap Final (11:00 am)
Weightlifting:
Men’s 105kg Final (2:00 pm)
Wrestling:
Men’s 60kg Greco-Roman Bronze Medal Matches (12:45 pm)
Men’s 60kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match (1:46 pm)
Men’s 84kg Greco-Roman Bronze Medal Matches (12:45 pm)
Men’s 84kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match (2:41 pm)
Men’s 120kg Greco-Roman Bronze Medal Matches (12:45 pm)
Men’s 120kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match (2:56 pm)
|
Medal Table |
|||||
|
# |
Country |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
| 1 | China |
30 |
17 |
14 |
61 |
| 2 | USA |
28 |
14 |
18 |
60 |
| 3 | Great Britain |
16 |
11 |
10 |
37 |
| 4 | Russia |
4 |
16 |
15 |
35 |
| 5 | Japan |
2 |
12 |
13 |
27 |
| 6 | France |
8 |
8 |
9 |
25 |
| 7 | Germany |
5 |
10 |
7 |
22 |
| 8 | South Korea |
10 |
4 |
6 |
20 |
| 9 | Australia |
1 |
12 |
7 |
20 |
| 10 | Italy |
6 |
5 |
3 |
14 |
| 11 | Canada |
1 |
3 |
6 |
10 |
The Sport Addiction 