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Adlington: double gold
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The Olympic Games have drawn to a close after a magnificent 16 days of action in Beijing.
What has been your highlight from the quadrennial festival of sport?
American swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt both confirmed their Olympic legend status, while there was also a steady stream of British success.
Chris Hoy was the headline act with three golds as Team GB dominated at the velodrome, while the sailors and rowers once again lived up to their usual high standards.
Rebecca Adlington's performance in the pool was more of a surprise - the 19-year-old from Mansfield did the 400m and 800m freestyle double for Britain's first swimming golds since Adrian Moorhouse 20 years ago.
Use the form below to contribute.
Comments (39)
Christopher Arnfield says...
I thought that the Olympic games handover said it all. An idiotic pantomime performance by the Mayor of London says all anyone needs to know about London and its Olympics. Second rate, a cheap and inferior copy of Beijing, and representative of our unrepresentative Capitol city. Total waste of money as usual funded by the rest of the country for the privileged few in the South East.
Posted 23:33 27th August 2008
Brian Mckoy says...
Whats wrong with all these people we should be here talking about our highlights and great moments of the games and all i'm seeing is people moaning about 2012 and talking about Boris Johnson, come on people, team GB did a great job but my highlight surely was from MICHEAL PHELPS of america and USAIN BOLTS of jamaica two names you will be hearing about for years to come along with CHRIS HOY AND REBECCA ADLINGTON they make this oylmpics the best ever. thanks guys
Posted 23:15 27th August 2008
David Challans says...
As a person working in China for the last 3 years, I have been fortunate to see the Chinese preparation for the games, they prepared like a country wanting to impress, now I hear the gold medalists are being paid 350K RMB (nearly £30K) for their efforts. This is peanuts to some athletes from elsewhere in the world, bt they had a genuine desire to win. Culture is a big thing hhere and defeat is not considered. I watched the GB team they too competed with such desire, as a Brit, I was so proud to see their efforts rewarded when looking at the medals table. Boris though has been criticised for his appearence even by the Chinese people. They thought (myself also) that we would promote our pagentry, our initiative as a Western country. Sorry Britain, I hope the athlets again excel in 2012, but with someone giving first impressions to the rest of the world like Boris did, then I feel like we have lost the pride we once were known as a nation. Please, Please, Please don't follow the example of Boris and the people who had taught him for the last 2 months to behave like that in the limelight of Britain's finest 8 minutes since the war and World Cup. We only only get better, but leave the so called experts out of it please, otherwise it will be a shambles trying to copy what the Chinese did so well to promote the country and people.
Posted 16:35 27th August 2008
Daren Barnden says...
I think people should get behind Britain and support the Olympics 2012 and not moan about Boris, David Beckahm etc. We have 4 years to get it right and i hope we achieve that. What our Olympicsd team did was great. We may have a pop of 70 mil compaired to some larger countries who may only have 21 mil pop but i think you have to look at the BIGGER PICTURE. Well done the British Olympic team.......
Posted 07:59 27th August 2008
Mitch Price says...
Lafan Sands says... As a British Australian, or an Australian Brit, whichever, I can be fairly fickle (jumping from the UK to Australia, depending on the results!). And have a lot of fun being "independent" in that regard. So I find crazy that we look at Britain (pop.70 mil), 47 medals; and Australia (pop.21 mil), 46 medals, and we crow about how great Britain did! The online league tables in the UK are then constructed based on number of gold medals as the defining thing - which downgrades the achievements of the silver and bronze medal winners. About time we reported achievement not stirred up nationalist thoughts, don't you think? yea but didnt we only take 311 athletes and the aussies took 435 so in that respect our success was decent.
Posted 09:21 26th August 2008
Billy the Fish says...
As someone who was in Beijing for the Olympics and have lived in London before, I would like to offer a spectators' comparison of Beijing v London: Beijing: genuinely friendly locals who are intrigued by foreigners and who genuinely want them to visit to learn more about them - how about London? Beijing taxis: get around anywhere for 3 to 4 quid - how about London? Beijing Underground: less than 20p, how about London (currently 7 quid). Beijing Pubs/restaurants: great food dirt cheap, beers/soft drinks all around a quid: how about London?? Beijing volunteers: thousands of friendly local volunteers desperate to help out and create a good impression of their city/country - how about London? Beijing: safe to walk/stagger(!) round the streets any time of day or night - how about London?
Posted 06:46 26th August 2008
Lee Taylor says...
Bills are up, petrol is up and everyone is skint to their teeth. Yet were going to spend ¿9 billion on the Olympic games? What a disgrace. Just so in four years time we can all mince about in the wet throwing poles and thrusting down a river in a canoe. It's pathetic. Give us our money back!
Posted 23:33 25th August 2008
Allan Buddy says...
OK...ok... the opening and closing ceremonies are important but surely it is all about what the Olympics mean. Athleticism, competitiveness and sportsmanship. Three things i feel it will be hard to find in 2012 unless we throw our full weight (and money) behind Team GB (no not team england, Scotland, wales or northern Ireland) and get our youngsters out competing and enjoying sport. Have non competition at schools does not help our cause, having no areas for kids to play and run around does not help ours cause and having loads of 'leisure pools' with slides and water features but no lanes does not help our cause. With all this to overcome it just means that team GB's achievements are all the more impressive. Good luck for 2012, but lets make sure we make all the other countries work VERY hard to bet us, If they can!!
Posted 18:40 25th August 2008
Tim Marshall says...
In response to Lafan Sands, it's strange how the UK vs Aus discussions always go down the same paths. On the rare occasions that the Aussies come out on the short end, it's unfair because of the comparative size of population, and when England (why don't the Welsh and Scots do it, by the way?) loses out, it's because we don't do enough for sports and Aussies spend all their money on sports academies. I'm a long time emigrant to the US from the UK, and I have to say, it's taken 17 years, but this was the first major sporting event where I cared more about what happened to the US teams/sportsment than the British.
Posted 18:01 25th August 2008
C Yong says...
Hi guys, for all of u guys who thought that the british presentation at the closing ceremony was bad, dont worry.. as a chinese, i enjoyed it. i guess some of you really hated it because it was your country performing and we always expect more from our own people :) but im telling you it wasnt that bad :) it showed non british people something we have never seen before. the dance with the umbrellas and the street. im sure alot of chinese people complained about the opening and closing ceremony for not being good enough too. we are all just really hard on ourselves. im sure the next olympics will be super cool.... i really do
Posted 17:11 25th August 2008
Keith Reeves says...
I think Beijing did an excellent job of hosting the Olympics, lots of interesting and original Chinese traditional ideas and the T.V coverage was excellent although some of the judging in points scoring related sports did cast a shadow on it all for me. If London wants to be remembered as a good venue the organizers must not over expose the games like a cheesy celebrity. Our eight minute slot at the closing ceremony was moronic and lacked any depth or feeling at all. I do not understand what an X-factor singer, a wrinkly rock star and a heavily tattooed footballer based in America said to the world about what Great Britain has to offer. Keep the media mongers at arms length and remember the Olympics are supposed to be about bringing people and sport closer together.
Posted 16:56 25th August 2008
Lafan Sands says...
As a British Australian, or an Australian Brit, whichever, I can be fairly fickle (jumping from the UK to Australia, depending on the results!). And have a lot of fun being "independent" in that regard. So I find crazy that we look at Britain (pop.70 mil), 47 medals; and Australia (pop.21 mil), 46 medals, and we crow about how great Britain did! The online league tables in the UK are then constructed based on number of gold medals as the defining thing - which downgrades the achievements of the silver and bronze medal winners. About time we reported achievement not stirred up nationalist thoughts, don't you think?
Posted 13:10 25th August 2008
James Hoult says...
I loved the beijing olympics it was great to see team GB do so well when you consider that nearly all our athletes have to train in different countries because we here in GB dont have the proper facilities so maybe because we have the olympics in 2012 maybe we will see quite a few olympic sized pools opening up and more facilities to help train the squd better and prepare them for 2012 cause it aint far off i for on ecant wait for it COME ON GB
Posted 10:00 25th August 2008
Graham Dempsey says...
I think its great we have the Olympics knocking on our door in 2012. We should be proud and excited .China set a standard that we must exceed or emulate if not we will be a laughing stock. It's always said a first impression counts you never get a second chance of a first impression. So why did Boris Johnson accept the flag of the olympics dressed as smart as a jacket potatoe split open with margarine inside? It should have been Seb Coe hes done wonders to get us this far.
Posted 09:34 25th August 2008
Stefan Kempkes says...
Why all the hype about David Beckham kicking a ball into the crowd? He does it all the time during football matches.
Posted 08:46 25th August 2008
Philip Leung says...
The Olympic is so special and fantastic, especially for the athletes, their drive, determination, tears, pain and joy we could never imagine. Overall, the show at Beijing was an absolute spectacle. Boris, the London Mayor, was a disgrace. My dad said he was like a schoolboy who had never gone outside the world. He was waving arms childishly, scruffy, jacket unbuttoned with hands in pocket, and had made childish gestures with other officials.
Posted 03:24 25th August 2008
Andrew Steele says...
Can we not give the games BACK to China. To compete with that we need a proper budget to compete with China, yet all our people do is moan. Boris Johnson was a disgrace and I was ashamed with our presentation. Although our stars did impress. Personally I think we need to financially support team GB (almost there) and London otherwise we are going to let ourselves down BIG TIME. I am dreading 2012 not because of team GB. They are awesome 110 percent effort from all and the best olympics ever all round. Can London compete. . . . not a chance, prepare for humiliation Britain
Posted 01:19 25th August 2008
Adeal Stanley says...
Am I the only viewer who was bored by the massed displays at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies? They reminded me of those at the Berlin and Moscow Olympics - and gave me the message that China has millions of people who are drilled to perfection, but not allowed any individuality. Thought the London contribution deserved 7 out of 10 - it was let down by Boris in his Oxfam shop reject suit, and where were the Pipers that the Chinese used for the Opening Ceremony? One thing we can do better than anyone else is pageantry, as exemplified by the Pipers. So let's concentrate on bands, horses and music - traditional and modern - in 2012, bring on the Red Arrows, admired around the world, and for the closing ceremony have the Marines do Beat Retreat - there won't be a dry eye in the stadium.
Posted 00:41 25th August 2008
Lynn Dee says...
How embarrasing - after Beijing hosted a well organised and spectacular olympic games - it was such a shame that London's effort looked like something produced from the £1 shop and to top it all Boris - well - what a disgrace, he looked like a tramp - its no wonder our young people don't aspire to be anything positive with a role model like that.
Posted 00:11 25th August 2008
Louisa Mulholland says...
I just couldn't take my eyes off these years' OLYMPICS...absolutely breath-taking was the opening and closing ceremonies- It brought a tear to my eye :):) The costumes, the dance, the cultural atmosphere was simply AWSOME!!!!! The only downside was that i wasnt there...:( London better put up half the spectacle!!!!
Posted 22:33 24th August 2008