Thrifty on TV: Looking for an intellectual Challenge? Then Only Connect…

It is a long-held belief that the quality of programming on television in the UK has taken a significant downturn in the past few years. Reality shows, and even worse, faux-reality like The Only Way is Essex have contributed greatly to this perception. But if you look hard enough, there is intellectual programming to be found on TV. Spare an hour between 8pm and 9pm on a Monday evening, and you won’t be disappointed with the double header of University Challenge (BBC2) and Only Connect (BBC Four).

The joy of quiz shows like these isn’t that you can answer all the questions, but the immense pride you feel if you answer any of the questions. With University Challenge, the breadth of subjects which are covered every week means that the majority of viewers will find something that they know the answer to. The show is an entertaining watch. Admittedly it can get off to a slow start, with bonus questions (asked to the team who has correctly answered a starter for ten) taken at a leisurely pace. But as the half-hour show progresses, the pace grows more frantic. Jeremy Paxman takes on the role of condescending school teacher, growing more irate each time he has to implore a team to hurry up with their answer. He has perfected the angry “come on,” as well as the scoff at team members’ incorrect and ill-informed stabs in the dark. It would be easy to see Paxman as over-the-top, but in actual fact he augments the entertainment value of the show. As a man best known for giving an unparalleled grilling to the country’s most powerful men and women, there is no let-up from Paxman for these lowly students.

Summer of frustration bursts into life as Sunderland makes double signing

Sunderland fans have been through a lot in the past. Within my lifetime, and those of fans much older than myself, the club has been the definition of a ‘yo-yo’ team. But there is a strange emotion brewing on the banks of the Wear. That is one of optimism. After a quiet off-season, the Black Cats have burst into life with a hectic day of business. Adam Johnson, England international winger, has signed from Manchester City for £10million (plus performance related add-ons). Steven Fletcher, formerly of Wolverhampton Wanderers, has signed for £12million. The club is on the up.

Some people have said Sunderland overpaid for Fletcher. The outlay of £12million (and reliable reports suggest that there are no add-ons despite earlier claims that the deal was £14million) is more than Sunderland would have liked to have spent. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Martin O’Neill has never spoken of a war chest given to him by Ellis Short, the Sunderland owner and chairman. No such cap on spending exists. O’Neill has been asked by Short to build a competitive team, knowing that he will have the funds to make it happen. O’Neill has now made this come to fruition. Short has backed O’Neill to the hilt. At times this summer there were concerns over Sunderland’s lack of business. But those thoughts are now well in the past. The signings of Fletcher and Johnson are the sign that Sunderland is ready to make the step up to the next level.

Buying the title? How else are you meant to win it?

I've recently written my first article for a football website known as Natter Football. The site is a great general interest football page with contributions from a number of different writers. They are also on twitter, @natterfootball, and while you're at it, those of you with twitter can add me @thrifty1992.

The article is called "Buying the title? How else are you meant to win it?" and takes a look at how all clubs who win the title, even Manchester United, can be labelled as having 'bought' the Premier League title.

No Olympic hangover as Premier League gets off to fast start

There is no doubting that the Olympics were a brilliant spectacle. The general (though not universal) spirit in which the sports were played made a lasting impression on those who watched. The quality of the competition was also impressive. London 2012 was billed as the pinnacle of sporting competition, and it lived up to that billing. The inevitable consequence, however, was unfavourable comparisons with football. Footballers have been depicted as over-paid prima-donnas, with no respect for one another and a misunderstanding of the meaning of sportsmanship. To some, the sense of entitlement held by some footballers ran in stark contrast to the more worthy, but more humble, Olympians.

I for one did not hold that view. Though the majority of Olympians were inspirational, footballers as a collective did not deserve the harsh criticism they have received. Some footballers, admittedly, fit the descriptions. The repeated off-field (and often on-field) indiscretions of players like John Terry, Wayne Rooney, Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, to name but a few, do not match up to the astronomical wages that they earn. Perhaps the worst culprit last year was Carlos Tevez, a man who continued to paid hundreds of thousands of pounds a week despite refusing to play, that is until his Manchester City side looked destined to win the league title at which point he magically returned. It is perhaps understandable, then, that a lot of people openly stated their disinterest in the start of the new Premier League season. Categorically, I was not one of them.

Saturday Six-Pointer

Here's the first in what will hopefully be a regular feature on the blog throughout the Premier League season. It's a weekly look at the six talking points which have caught my eye in the Premier League each Saturday.

1

I’m not a big fan of Alan Pardew, though it has to be accepted that he has done an incredible job at Newcastle. It is easy to forget that when he came in, to replace the popular Chris Hughton, he was derided by most Newcastle supporters. Now they back him to the hilt, because his results have proven him worthy. But his act of petulance today, pushing the linesman after he didn’t flag for a Newcastle throw-in, has no place on a football field. Managers are meant to set an example, for their players and supporters. Pardew has apologised, but he has had other indiscretions in the past. He has to realise that he cannot act like that, hoping that an apology will make everybody forgive and forget. I would suspect a touchline ban may be in the pipeline.

Match Report: York City 1-3 Wycombe Wanderers

York City came back down to earth with a bump as Wycombe Wanderers came out 3-1 victors on the opening day of the League Two season. There were promising signs for York, however, as in spells they managed to get together the zippy, free-flowing football which made them a rare delight in the physical Conference Premier last season. York were unable to make this spells count, though, lacking the cutting edge that they will need to find to survive in the league this year.

Wycombe, on the other hand, were ruthless as they took their three best chances. It was the visitors who settled quickest, not surprising considering they were a League One side last year. York was a bit jittery at first. The hosts settled, and were dealing with Wanderers’ long-ball tactics well. In the lead up to the first goal City may even have had the upper hand, but then Matt Bloomfield made it 1-0. Bearing down on goal, Bloomfield tried to place a shot low to Michael Ingham’s right only for the shot to take a deflection and nestle into the opposite corner. 

The Last Week on Thrifty's Blog

Hi guys, hope you're all enjoying reading the blog. This is just an update as its been a busy week with Olympic review posts and football season previews. So I thought I would put links to everything from this week together in one place for your perusal.

THE OLYMPIC GAMES: London 2012 reviews

The Top 5 Non-Sporting Figures of London 2012 (Monday)

The Top 5 Obscure Sports We've Grown to Love at London 2012 (Wednesday)

The Top 5 Sporting Heroes of London 2012 (Friday)

THE FOOTBALL SEASON: League and team review

My Three Teams: A season preview for Darlington FC, York City FC and Sunderland AFC

Premier League 2012/3: Season Predictions

Premier League 2012/3: Season Predictions

At the end of the day, predictions are merely guesswork. Anybody who reads Mark Lawrenson’s ‘expert’ predictions on a weekly basis on the BBC Sport website will appreciate this. Lawrenson goes head-to-head with a different celebrity or famous figure each week, predicting that week’s Premier League scores, and invariably gets beaten. The unpredictability of Premier League football is even more pronounced when making predictions for the whole season, rather than just a week’s match-ups. Perhaps most significantly, pre-season predictions can’t take into account the remaining weeks of the transfer window which, guaranteed, will have s significant impact on end of season positions. Basically, I’m not expecting these predictions to be dead-on. Instead, it’s just a fun look at the prospects of the Premier League clubs, as we stand today.

Top 5 Sporting Heroes of London 2012

Here is the final Olympic top 5 of the week, and by far the most difficult to pick. Whittling down the hundreds of gold medal winning athletes to pick five who stood out is a thankless task, and I have tried to select people who had a significant impact on the Games, and whose achievements were the most impressive. Feel free to comment on who would make up your top five.

5 Jessica Ennis

                Ennis came into London 2012 as the much touted “face of the Games.” You could barely turn a corner without seeing her plastered up on a billboard, not only in London but across the country. There was incredible pressure on Jess to produce. Any doubts about her ability to live up to the hype were quickly expelled as she ran 12.54secs in the opening event, the 100m hurdles. That time would have been enough for gold in the hurdles in Beijing, and was a personal best and all-time heptathlon record. Ennis, like Michael Johnson at Atlanta 96 or Ian Thorpe at Sydney 2000, had come to the party. A series of stunning performances, including personal best efforts in the 200m and javelin, made Ennis a shoe-in for gold going into the final event, the 800m. Effectively Ennis only had to make sure she got round to take the victory, with the 800m being one of her stronger events and her lead in points translating to a 13 second advantage on the track. But, in front of an electric crowd in the Olympic Stadium on the middle Saturday of the Games (dubbed Super Saturday), Ennis won the race in style. Her performance was one of the highlights of the Games. She lived up to the much heightened expectations and exceeded them. In none of the seven events did she even slightly disappoint. A truly outstanding performance.

4 The cyclists

                It proved impossible to pick out the achievements of any one cyclist above the others at these Games. Across the board they were, for the second games running, dominant. One of the moments of the Games, without doubt, was the victory of Bradley Wiggins. Wiggins’ achievements over the past few months have been unprecedented. We also saw the changing of the guard of British track cycling. Both Sir Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny won two gold medals at London 2012. Hoy has now won six Olympic golds, more than any other Briton ever. This will be Hoy’s last Olympics, and he went out in style. Now Kenny, already with three golds in the bag, takes up the mantle. For the women, it is a similar story as Victoria Pendleton bows out, and Laura Trott who is also now a double gold medallist becomes British cycling’s new poster girl. It was a tremendous Games again for the cyclists, but special mention must also go to one who came away with nothing. Mark Cavendish, for the second Games running, was without a medal. But he didn’t shy away from the media glare, and even worked for the BBC as a pundit in the velodrome. Amongst all the track cyclists’ success, he added an expert eye and acted with dignity amongst the inevitable questions surrounding his disappointment.

3 Usain Bolt

                There are not enough superlatives in the world to describe this man. Both incredibly talented on the track, and oozing charisma off it, Bolt has now won six Olympic gold medals (giving him a hit rate of 100% in events he has entered). The Olympics has ignited debates over who is the best ever Olympian. From a British perspective, Sir Steve Redgrave is now challenged by Sir Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins. On a worldwide scale, the common answer is Michael Phelps. Phelps has indeed won 22 Olympic medals, including 18 gold. He also had a 100% success rate in 2008. But, particularly at these Games, he hasn’t been the dominant figure he once was. Bolt has now, across two Olympic Games, been unbeatable in everything he entered. Questions were asked before the Games started about whether compatriot Yohan Blake, or the Americans Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin, could beat him. They did not come close. And after his double triumph in the 100m and 200m, he was then the final leg of the world record breaking 4x100m relay team. Given the baton neck-and-neck with the Americans, Bolt strided away to win gold. He confirmed his place as one of the most dominant athletes of all time, and with it perhaps the greatest ever Olympian.

2 Brownlee brothers

                One of the most gruelling events of the Olympic Games is the triathlon. An unforgiving procession of swimming, cycling and running that takes not only an incredible level of fitness, but also the ability to master three different skills to a world-class standard. To complete a triathlon is commendable; to win a medal is very impressive. Remarkable, one family from North Yorkshire managed to contribute two medal winners in this event. Alistair Brownlee and his brother Jonathan finished first and third, respectively, to claim gold and bronze.Their collective performance in the race was remarkable, leading the whole way. Only Javier Gomez of Spain, and a 15-second penalty, prevented the brothers making it a Team GB 1-2. Such was the immense physical exertion of the race that the medal ceremony was delayed after Jonny collapsed shortly before it was meant to take place, and received medical treatment. The brothers’ performance was one of the more uplifting stories of the Games. They have always trained together, in the scenic Yorkshire Dales, and worked to eachother’s advantage during the race. The fairytale of them crossing the line together was always going to be unlikely to occur, but their amazing efforts were one of the most human storylines of the Games. Additionally, the Brownlee family on its own finished ahead of India, Belgium, Portugal and Greece in the medal table.

1 Mo Farah

                Mo became the undisputed star of London 2012. Just like Kelly Holmes in 2004, and Rebecca Adlington in 2008, he became the nation’s most admired athlete by winning two gold medals in one Olympics. He rounded off Super Saturday in style, winning Great Britain’s sixth gold medal of the day, and third at the track, with a commanding performance in the 10,000m. After almost thirty minutes of running, Farah was still able to kick better than any of his rivals and stayed at the front throughout the final lap. The 5,000m was a closer affair. But every time one of his competitors tried to make a move in the last kilometre, Mo was up for the challenge. Nobody was getting past, nobody would deny Mo a second gold. And so it was as he crossed the line, the look of delight unmistakable on his face. Britain has won more than its fair share of gold medals at London 2012, but none was as inspiring as Mo’s double. Born in Somalia and raised in Djibouti, he was brought to this country aged eight knowing barely a word of English; to hear him speak now, you would not know it. There is no question over Mo’s nationality. He is British through and through, and the nation has taken him to its heart. His celebration, the “Mobot,” which was created by Clare Balding and named by james Corden on Sky1’s “A League of their Own,” has become an instant cult classic. With London 2012’s motto being “Inspire a Generation,” there can be no more inspiring and far-reaching figure than Mo Farah.

Top 5 Obscure Sports We've Grown to Love at London 2012

The second Olympic themed Top 5 looks at the sports we never watched before the Olympic Games but have become hooked on. These are the sports we've never really understood in the past but now consider ourselves experts in. In many cases we just stumbled upon them, but somehow find ourselves searching them out as the Games progress.

5 Judo

                Two people wearing pyjamas trying to grab hold of each other and tackle them to the ground has never been so watchable. Great Britain had a disappointing start to the Games in the judo competition, with high profile names like Euan Barton failing to live up to expectations. But then that all changed as Gemma Gibbons claimed a silver medal in an enthralling day of grappling. One of the great aspects of sports like judo at the Olympics is that each weight category completes its tournament in one day, making it incredibly easy to follow the progress of stars like Gibbons. At first sight judo is a complicated sport, but after a day watching it is incredibly easy to pick up the rules. Two competitors try to bring the other to the ground to gain one of the three scores; from the yuko, when your opponent is brought down but not flat out, through the intermediary waz-ari, to the match-ending ippon, when you send your opponent flat out onto the mat. All of this goes on while players, known as judokas, try to avoid penalties, most commonly for passivity. The sport got off to a slow start in terms of interest, but it is impossible not to be hooked.

4 Canoe slalom

                When doing an Open University style description of the 400m hurdles during the athletics, Colin Jackson told us prophetically that 400m hurdles was “a 400m running race, with the added complication of hurdles.” How profound. Canoe slalom, then, is canoeing with the added complication of having to go through gates. But it’s not that simple. First, competitors contend with the artificially produced rapids. They are penalised for even touching any of the gates, and must pass through each one in their correct order or otherwise incur a devastating 50 second penalty (each run through the course takes about two minutes). Then there are the ever entertaining “upstream” gates, where the canoeists must pass the gate by, only to turn and go back through it. This, in particular, requires incredible technique and strength, and performance through these gates is usually the difference between contending for medals and making up the numbers. As with judo, Britain got off to a slow start in this sport but came good with both gold and silver in the men’s C2 or pairs event. It is impossible to watch canoe slalom without swaying and straining with the competitors, trying in vain to help them make the gate or get back upstream despite being on the comfort of one’s own sofa.

3 Handball

                Perhaps the exposure of handball would have benefited from there being a competitive Great British team. Unfortunately this was not the case. Of course, the name of the sport leads to inevitable jokes about football. One observer commented how the French handball team, which won the tournament, was so strong that Thierry Henry couldn’t get a place in the squad. But when you actually sit down to watch handball seriously, it is surprising at just how violent the sport is. But what is more surprising is that the violence is just accepted. Fouls are part of this game. Whereas footballers might roll around on the floor after a tackle, and get angry at the perpetrator, in handball everybody just gets up and starts again. Fouling even acts as a tactic, allowing the defence to reorganise and repel the opposition’s attack more effectively. Then there is the blatantly cruel way that penalties are taken. The penalty taker basically gets to throw the ball at the goal from about five yards, impeded only by a goalkeeper with minimal chance to stop it. That is not to say they never do; the Hungary goalkeeper, in their quarter-final with Iceland, save a penalty at head-height… with his foot. That save, with only seconds left, set up a Hungary equaliser, sending the game into extra-time after which Hungary were victorious. If I’m honest, I never really picked up the rules of handball. But it is such a fast sport and an entertainingly violent yet somehow amiable one, it became a must watch.

2 Taekwondo

                Any sport where the objective is to kick your opponent in the head is obviously going to be a winner. In taekwondo, not only is this the case, but you get even more credit for doing it with flare. A spinning kick to the head will garner far more points than a regular flat-footed one. Jade Jones was undisputedly the star of the sport for Great Britain, taking a gold medal with a series of entertaining encounters. One of the beauties of taekwondo was that it could move on so quickly. The point scoring system means various successful kicks get different points, meaning a match can to-and-fro between the two competitors. In one match involving bronze medallist Lutalo Muhammad, the score remained at 0-0 for five of the six minutes that the encounter takes, before bursting into life and seeing Muhammad win 7-1. Jade Jones won her opening match after she opened up such a large lead (14 points) that the match was stopped then and there. In contrast, her final opponent from China came through her first round encounter in sudden death after a cagey 0-0 in regulation. The classic exchanges in taekwondo were those when the participants exchanged kicks rapidly. Naturally, attempting a kick you also leave yourself open to attack which often led to quick-fire back and forth attacks with both players accruing points. A very fast-paced sport and an incredibly gripping one.

1 Equestrian

                Great Britain may have won 29 gold medals at London 2012. But the unsung heroes of the whole event were none of these gold medallists, nor even any human being. It was the impeccably trained horses of the equestrian events who stole the show at Greenwich Park. Great Britain had major success in equestrian, with team silver in the three-day eventing, team gold in both dressage and show-jumping, and individual gold in dressage. Dressage was the most unlikely sport that captivated the nation. Who would have thought a load of horses dancing around would be entertaining? Yet somehow it was. It was never better than in the final round, as Charlotte Dujardin confirmed her gold medal, when music was added to the spectacle. Britain’s Laura Bechtolsheimer and her horse Mistral Højris performed to a Lion King medley, while Dujardin and Valegro did their effort to a medley of Great British music, from orchestral tunes like Land of Hope and Glory, through crowd favourites like the Great Escape theme, to rock classics like Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney & Wings. This was another example where, after a short time watching, we felt like experts, picking out the minor errors like we had been watching it all our lives. But for me the highlight was three-day eventing, the true test of a horse’s adaptability and all-round skill. Dressage, cross country and show-jumping, with incredibly designed London-themed fences, with penalties for knocking them over or taking too long to complete the course. It was enthralling from start to finish.

Football Season Preview: My Three Teams

With the Olympics now over, the football season is upon us. The Community Shield went ahead on Sunday with Manchester City defeating Chelsea 3-2 in an entertaining game, and the first round of the Capital One Cup (or the League Cup to you and me) has begun. Both the Premier League and the Football League begin this coming weekend. Fans around the country are looking forward to it all getting underway. Maybe this year might be “our year.” For most, it won’t be long until they realise, once again, that that is not going to be the case.

It would be impossible to do an extensive review of the football season. But I have the pleasure of following three clubs in vastly different situations, with different expectations for the season and in very different places in the English football pyramid. Sunderland A.F.C. is in its sixth consecutive season in the Premier League, their longest spell in the top flight since first being relegated from Division One in 1957-8. York City F.C. will be playing in Football League Two, after promotion last season through the play-offs in the Conference Premier, their first season in the Football League since 2003-04 when 75 years of membership came to an end. Darlington 1883 is the continuation of the traditions of Darlington F.C. and will play in the Northern League, the ninth step on the English football ladder. Darlington was demoted four divisions after the last campaign because it was considered to be a ‘new’ club by the Football Association (for a similar, more high-profile case, see Glasgow Rangers). In this article I will preview these three clubs with their different hopes and prospects for the season.

Darlington F.C. 

With Darlington’s financial problems last season, football itself took a backseat. The club almost went out of business, with the administrator having announced to the players that it was to be liquidated when at the last minute extra money became available. The club has survived thanks to efforts of a dedicated few, such as administrator Harvey Madden, former manager Craig Liddle and chairman of DFC1883 Denis Pinnegar. This year is the club’s chance to start from scratch. They are no longer tied down to the white elephant that is the Darlington Arena, built by former chairman and former safe-cracker George Reynolds as nothing more than a status symbol for his own ego. Instead they will ground-share with Bishop Auckland at Heritage Park. It will be a long and hard road back to where the club belongs, in the Football League. That target is five promotions away. But if it can be achieved it will be one of the greatest fairy-tales in English football.

Darlington is my home town team and I have followed them closely since 1998. My greatest memories of the Quakers were the teams of the late 90s when Marco Gabbiadini was banging in goals for fun and, but for a late season slump, Darlo would have won automatic promotion into what was then Division Two. As it was, the team fell to a play-off final defeat to Peterborough united. That Peterborough now plies its trade in the Championship shows just how pivotal a day that may have been for both clubs.

It must still be taken one season at a time. The Northern League is one of the strongest at that level of football in the country. Its clubs have had significant and consistent success in the FA Vase, a competition (to rub salt in the wound of a four-league demotion) Darlington has been excluded from this season. But Darlington has gone about assembling a strong team of established northern League players. The team has performed exceptionally well in pre-season, with goals aplenty from across the team, Sean Reay being particularly prolific. Darlington immediately becomes the big name of the Northern League. The club has struggled with fluctuating support over the years but it will certainly be the best supported club in the division by far. These do not guarantee success, but they do help. Under the guidance of new manager Martin Gray, Darlington 1883 is ready to take the first step back towards what the club once took for granted: its place in the Football League.

York City F.C.

While Darlington are rebuilding, York City will look to re-establish themselves as a Football League club. Last season was my first following York, having begun studying at the city’s university two years ago. I attended many of the games and I am a season-ticket holder for the coming year. It was a great year to become a York supporter as the club had significant success in league and cup. A consistent league season saw the club end up 4^th in the Conference Premier, good enough to earn a play-off spot. The team booked two trips to Wembley in consecutive weekends. The first saw them triumph 2-0 over Newport County in the FA Trophy. However they will not defend that crown this season after they won once again to earn promotion eight days later, 2-1 in the play-off final against Luton Town. It is difficult to know what to expect from York this year. Many teams promoted from the Conference go on to finish highly in their first League Two campaign, and promotion is not unprecedented. City’s best chance is to try and recreate the free flowing football which saw them challenge at the very top of the table earlier in the season, before they receded into a more direct approach as the season went on.

Importantly for City, they have made a number of good signings whilst keeping together the majority of the team which won promotion. Jason Walker is a proven goal-scorer, who should be back to his best after an injury last season, after which he struggled to recreate his early season form. Matty Blair and Scott Kerr looked a class apart in the Conference at times last year. Blair is a lively winger who can be found on either side of the pitch, with a knack for scoring important goals, notably the winner in the FA Trophy final, and the winners in both the semi-final second leg and final of the play-offs. Kerr was absent in those games after a season-ending injury, but prior to that was a quality central midfield player blessed with an eye for a pass and a creative spark. With the core of the team back for another year, City will be happy to consolidate this time around. Anything more would be a bonus, but it’s not out of reach for York City to challenge for a high finish this year.

Sunderland A.F.C.

The third club I will be following this season will be Sunderland. I have been a Sunderland fan since I was introduced to the club by my father in 1999. That was an historic season for the club as it won promotion to the Premier League with a then record amount of points. In my years, I have seen more than my fair share of triumph and disappointment. But Sunderland fans enter this season with a rare mix of emotions. The replacement of the frankly hapless Steve Bruce with Martin O’Neill, who transformed the club into one of the most formidable in the league last season almost overnight, has created both hope and expectation. O’Neill has a proved track record and is the kind of man manager that has benefited youngsters like the excellent Jack Colback, and loose cannons like Lee Cattermole.

But with the season beginning this week, there is still a lot to be determined about Sunderland’s team for 2012/3. There have been no major additions to the squad, and the team is two strikers short of where it would hope to be. The pursuit of Steven Fletcher from Wolves has been a long and, as yet, unresolved one. His arrival at Sunderland has seemed inevitable all summer but as the start of the season closes in, neither Fletcher nor any other forward has been signed. Sunderland has a strong and experienced defence and a lot of good options in midfield, but at least one new striker is needed. Football is a game about scoring goals and at the moment it’s not certain where Sunderland’s goals will come from. Stephane Sessegnon is a class apart in the side, one of the better creative players in the league, but not a prolific goal-scorer. If O’Neill can successfully address this deficit then Sunderland should be able to make the step up and challenge for Europe. Should it go unresolved, and it will be a case of looking down instead of up. This is something every Sunderland fan has experienced many times before, but not one they would like to encounter. The weeks before 1 September, when the transfer window closes, will be the most important for the Black Cats this season.

The football season is always a stressful experience, but it is not one any fan would trade in for anything else. This year I have the pleasure of following three great football clubs in very different situations. No doubt all three will have their ups and downs, but here’s hoping it will be one to remember (for the right reasons) for them all.

Top 5 Non-Sporting Figures of London 2012

This is the first of three Olympic Top 5 lists. Later in the week will be the Top 5 sporting heroes and the Top 5 obscure sports we've grown to love. But today's list looks at the Top 5 non-sporting figures of the Games.

5 The army

                One of the major pre-Games controversies was the G4S security debacle. It could have spiralled into a logistical nightmare if handled incorrectly. But once the Games had begun, little was heard of security problems. There were a few teething problems during football matches in the week leading up to the Opening Ceremony, but after that everything ran apparently smoothly. This was not a case of issues sorting themselves out. The army stepped in to fill the gaps left by G4S and, by all accounts, handled the situation with aplomb. It is easy to forget that these men could just as easily be fighting a war in Afghanistan, instead of acting as security personnel at the Games. Defending the country is their job, but doing so in these circumstances is not something they have been trained to do. They were called in last minute, but took to it like a duck to water. Importantly, the Games passed without a major security incident, and that is mainly down to the hard work, adaptability and vigilance of our Armed Forces, and for this they should be saluted.

4 Boris Johnson

                Everywhere you turned at the Olympic Games, there were recognisable faces. The Royal Family seemed to be in attendance at every event, with Seb Coe, David Cameron and David Beckham also making more than their fair share appearances. But there was only one man who brought entertainment wherever he went, and that was Mayor of London Boris Johnson. That Boris can make a fool of himself like nobody else was not in dispute before the Games, but London 2012 has just confirmed it. He was in top form before the Olympics even began, taunting Mitt Romney when the American Presidential candidate questioned London’s Olympic preparations. His dancing to the Spice Girls at the closing ceremony will become an instant YouTube classic. His unique way with words, such as the coining of the word “Olympomania,” brought colour to otherwise dull moments. But without doubt Boris’ finest hour was that zip-wire incident. For many a politician, such an incident could be a PR disaster. But Boris did not shout and wail at his security and other hangers-on to get him down. He cracked jokes to the bystanders and laughed the incident off. Without Boris, the world, and the London Olympic Games, would be a duller place.

3 Danny Boyle

                The Beijing Opening Ceremony was spectacular. The fireworks, the performances, the choreography and direction, were all magnificent. Nobody thought it could be topped. In the days leading up to the Games, much of the population was still wondering how we were going to mess the whole thing up. It would be appropriately British to make a pig’s ear of the greatest show on earth. But Boyle stepped up to the mark. His Opening Ceremony was unique. It did not try to match the sheer audacity and scale of Beijing. Boyle knew his ceremony would not be able to compete. But he made it his own. It was quintessentially British, and after all that was what it needed. The Opening Ceremony is organised by the host, and should reflect that. Boyle got it spot on. But perhaps his most impressive achievement was that the whole thing was memorable, from the touching tribute to the victims of 7/7, to the musical medley, or the transformation from pastoral scene to Industrial Revolution complete with Sir Kenneth Branagh as Isambard Kingdom Brunel. But the two cherries on top of the cake, the appearance of Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean and the coup of the Queen alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond, made Boyle’s show peerless.

2 Clare Balding

                Balding has really set herself apart as the star of the BBC broadcasting team at the Olympics. Like many of the presenters, she was tirelessly employed every day of the Games. But she was not given a cushy job in the main studio, providing links to each event, but was ferried around the venues, appearing at swimming, equestrian and boxing to name but three. At each she offered impressive professionalism, clearly well researched but also ceding to her more expert colleagues as appropriate. Importantly, the viewer could really appreciate her passion for sport, which came across on the television and was infectious. Her genuine joy at the success of the equestrians, a sport close to her, was heart-warming. Though Balding invited criticism for raising that questions would be asked about Ye Shiwen’s rapid improvement, I in fact found this even more commendable. She did not shy away from the big issues for fear of the critics. She asked the questions that the viewers were thinking, and wanted answered. For this, she must be praised. Finally, her interview with Bert, the father of South African Chad le Clos, who beat Michael Phelps by the smallest of margins to win a gold medal, was an instant classic.

1 The volunteers

                During the Closing Ceremony, Seb Coe’s speech was interrupted by rapturous applause and cheers. This was when he mentioned the volunteers, known as “Gamesmakers.” The contribution of those who gave up their time, in many cases taking holidays from work to help out, cannot be underestimated. For some, they got to see the inner workings of the Games and the state-of-the-art stadia used for competition. Many will have seen the best action first hand. But for the majority, they stood day after day out in the open, whatever the weather, answering queries and pointing people in the right direction. They did not see any action at all. But they always had smiles on their faces. They were always happy to help. They were doing it for free, but they exemplified the Olympic spirit of helpfulness. Without them, the Olympics could not have run as smoothly as they did.

The Olympic Report: Days 15 & 16

British medal watch

Mo Farah won a sensational second gold medal of London 2012 as he came home first in the men’s 5,000m. Farah ran a strong race, and in the final two laps he led throughout. Those behind him mounted a series of challenges but each time Mo upped his own pace. Nobody else could match his kick, and in the home straight the crowd went wild as they realised he was going to complete a remarkable double.

Anthony Joshua put in a great final round to claim the gold medal in the men’s super-heavyweight division boxing. Joshua was trailing his Italian opponent Roberto Cammarelle after two rounds but pulled it back in third, levelling the bout and winning on count back. The Italians appealed the decision, but this was rejected. After review, Joshua actually won by a wider margin than the original score suggested. Yesterday, Hull’s Luke Campbell also took the gold medal with a victory over Ireland’s John Joe Nevin in the bantamweight category. He knocked over the Irishman in the third round, and went clear after the first two rounds were close. Fred Evans missed out on gold as Kazakhstan’s Serik Sapiyev won a comfortable victory in the welterweight final.

Ed McKeever took gold for Team GB in canoe sprint, crossing the line first in the men’s 200m K1 event. McKeever got off to a fast start and dominated the race, finishing 0.3secs ahead of his nearest rival. It was a successful day at Eton Dorney for the Brits, as the men’s 200m K2 bronze also went the way of Team GB. Liam Heat and Jon Schofield, reigning European champions, could not match the Russian pair who took gold but were in with a chance of silver, until they were pipped to the post by Belarus. The pair ended up settling for bronze.

Tom Daley put the disappointment of the synchronised event by taking bronze in a hotly contested men’s 10m individual platform diving contest. Daley led going into the final dive after a consistent display. He put an early controversy behind him, after he was allowed to retake his first dive having been initially distracted by flash photography, which is banned during diving events. Daley’s final dive was another strong one, which gave him a chance of gold. But his rival also upped their Games, as David Boudia of the USA took gold and Bo Qui of China claimed silver. Nonetheless, Daley was delighted with the medal and celebrated by diving into the pool with his watching team-mates.

Top news

The USA held off a spirited fight from Spain to take men’s basketball gold. The American team, containing NBA all-stars, led for most of the match but Spain kept it close, even leading on a few occasions. But the Spaniards could not quite pull off a remarkable upset as their team of both NBA and European players came up six points short of their more esteemed opponents.

France has retained its handball title after beating Sweden 22-21 in the final. The French claimed the gold in a very tight and hard fought match.

Stephen Kiprotich secured Uganda’s first gold medal since 1972 as he raced clear in the men’s marathon this morning. Kiprotich was an outside bet coming into the event but he ran a textbook race, staying in contention early on and then carving out a lead in the latter stages, crossing the line well ahead of the second placed runner from Kenya.

Mexico completed an unlikely victory in the men’s football final, taking gold over the favourites from Brazil. Mexico took a two goal lead before Brazil pulled one back, but their efforts weren’t enough.

Other news

Tom Daley has dedicated his bronze medal in the men’s 10m platform to his dad, who died last year after a battle with cancer.

Two Egyptian wrestelers have been disqualified from their events after arriving late.

British swimming has announced it will hold a review of the team’s disappointing performance at the Games. Great Britain won only three swimming medals at London 2012, a silver for Michael Jamieson and two bronze medals for Rebecca Adlington.

Lord Sebastian Coe has been appointed as ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic legacy.

David Cameron has announced that funding for sport in the UK, which had only been confirmed up to 2014, has been extended as far as the Rio Games of 2016.

Charles van Commenee, the director of UK Athletics, is undecided on his future after Great Britain only won six medals in track and field. Van Commenee said he would have to consider his position if the target of eight medals was not achieved.

Your final medal table Top 10

Rank      Country                  G            S            B           Total

1              United States      46           29           29           104

2              China                 38           27           22           87

3              Great Britain       29           17           19           65

4              Russia                 24           25           33           82

5              South Korea        13            8             7            28

6              Germany             11           19           14           44

7              France                11           11           12           34

8              Italy                    8             9            11           28

9              Hungary               8             4             5            17

10           Australia               7             16           12           35

The Olympic Report: Day 14

British medal watch

The 470 class sailors won double silver today as Great Britain’s men’s and women’s pairs both confirmed second place in the overall classification. Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark went into the medal race tied with New Zealand, but finished well down the field as the Kiwis claimed the gold medal. Earlier on, Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell also had to settle for silver after failing to beat the Australian boat by one clear place, which would have seen them win gold. The pair were in contention for achieving their goal early on in the race, but a penalty towards the end put to the sword and remaining hopes of sneaking above the Aussies.

Great Britain’s women’s hockey team ended their campaign on a high by winning the bronze medal through a 3-1 victory over New Zealand in the third-place play-off. Team GB took a 3-0 lead, thanks to some splendid work on penalty corners, before New Zealand pulled back a consolation goal late on.

Anthony Ogogo’s defeat to Brazil’s Esquiva Falcao has confirmed that he will take home the bronze medal. By reaching the semi-final of the middleweight competition, Ogogo had been guaranteed at least a bronze but, had he won this bout, he would have been guaranteed a silver. In boxing there is no third-place play-off, so Ogogo is confirmed as a bronze medallist. Ogogo found himself trailing after two rounds and fell further behind as he took risks to cut the deficit, even being knocked over on two occasions. Luke Campbell will fight Ireland’s John Joe Nevin for bantamweight gold after both won their semi-final fights today. Campbell will win at least a silver medal, whatever the outcome of the bout. Fred Evans is also in the final of the welterweight category after a close victory over Taras Shelestyuk of Ukraine.

Lutalo Muhammed has won a bronze medal for Great Britain in taekwondo’s under 80kg category. Muhammad, who was a controversial selection for the Games, won his opening fight but was defeated in his quarter-final encounter. This meant he could not win the gold or silver, but he was given a chance in the repechage which he took with aplomb. He still needed two victories after the reprieve was confirmed, but he managed to do just that and claim the medal.

Top news

The USA’s men’s 4x400m relay team has won the gold as sixteen consecutive Olympic Games coming into London 2012, but a strong performance from the Bahamas saw that run come to an abrupt end. It was a two horse race as America and the Bahamas split apart from the rest of the field, with the Americans leading for most. But on the final leg, the Bahamians overtook their rivals can claimed the gold medal. It was not all doom and gloom for the Americans at the track, though, as the women’s 4x100m relay team won the gold in that event, and broke a 27-year old East German world record in the process. Their run was textbook, with quick legs and efficient changes, as they ran away with the win. Tirunesh Dibaba, looking to complete a double-double by winning the women’s 5,000m to go with her gold in the 10,000m and her two golds in those events in Beijing, had to settle for bronze as team-mate Meseret Defar took gold. It was a great day for Turkey as they took a 1-2 in the women’s 1500m. Asli Cakir finished with the gold medal, while Gamze Bulut took silver. And an Olympic record was set in the women’s hammer as Tatyana Lysenko took gold. The bronze went to Germany’s Betty Heidler after a controversial mishap almost cost her the medal. Heidler’s longest throw was incorrectly measured at first, but the mistake was later cleared up and she was confirmed in third place.

The Netherlands has won gold in the women’s hockey after defeating Argentina 2-0 in the final. Both goals came as the result of well worked penalty corners, as the Netherlands kept up their 100% record in the competition. South Korea has taken the bronze medal for men’s football after a victory over Japan. A goal in each half saw them take a 2-0 victory in the all-Far East clash.

Unsung Hero

Oussama Mellouli became the first person to win medals at both the pool and open water swimming at one Olympics after triumphing in this morning’s 10km swim in the Serpentine. The Tunisian took bronze earlier in the Games in the men’s 1500m freestyle, and added a gold in the marathon swim. He swam an aggressive race, responsible for a breakaway from the group and held his own amongst the open water specialists. He beat Thomas Lurz of Germany, the silver medal winner, by more than three seconds.

Disappointment

Great Britain managed to get round in the 4x100m relay without dropping the baton, but they were disqualified anyway despite finishing second in the heat. The third and final changeover was a comedy of errors and, though the baton did not hit the ground, it was not exchanged within the allowed zone.

Shanaze Reade and Liam Phillips missed out on the medals despite reaching their respective BMX finals. Reade got off to a poor start in the women’s final, finding herself in sixth place early on. She was unable to close down the leaders and finished in the same sixth position she held all race. Phillips, on the other hand, got off to a great start and looked in with a medal chance early in the race, but he then crashed out to leave his hopes in tatters.

Sarah Stevenson had a disappointing day at the ExCel as she failed to live up to expectations in her events. Stevenson was defeated in her opening match-up this morning. In taekwondo, participants who are beaten by the finalists are given a chance to win bronze through the repechage, but Stevenson’s conqueror, Paige McPherson of the USA, lost in the next round.

Other news

Aaron Cook, the taekwondo world number one who was left out of the Olympics after the selectors chose Lutalo Muhammad, has said he is unable to watch the competition in which he expected to compete. Cook attended the first day of competition, but had to stay away today, the day he would have competed, as he could not bear being there.

American runner Manteo Mitchell, who broke his leg during yesterday’s 4x400m relay but still completed the last 200m of his leg in spite of the injury, has revealed he heard his leg as it broke. Mitchell, Team USA’s lead-off man, ensured his team’s progression by completing his lap.

Photos have been unveiled of the Spice Girls in rehearsals. The group have been widely touted to be performing in the Closing Ceremony, but their participation has not been confirmed.

Sweden has launched an appeal against the result of the women’s triathlon after their athlete, Lisa Norden, was awarded silver in a photo finish. Norden was officially beaten by Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig, but photos have since suggested that the race may have been a dead heat. Sweden hopes that Norden will be awarded a second gold medal for the event.

For the first time, Usain Bolt has said he sees himself as a legend of Athletics, the greatest athlete ever. Bolt had refused to be led by interviewers asking him before the 200m final, but after becoming the first man to win a double-sprint-double Bolt has finally accepted his place as the number one of all time.

Jade Jones has vowed to defend her taekwondo title at Rio 2016.

And finally…

Usain Bolt borrowed a photographer’s camera after his 200m triumph yesterday to take a series of celebratory pictures.

The Olympic Report: Day 13

British medal watch

Charlotte Dujardin put in sensational performance to claim gold in the individual dressage competition. Dujardin and her horse, Valegro, went last and scored over 90%, edging out a Dutch rider in second. Laura Bechtolsheimer won the bronze medal, while Carl Hester came fifth. Dujardin has come a long way, originally a stable girl whose potential was seen by team mate Hester. The pair have worked together, and Valegro is owned by Hester. And the work has now paid off twice in a week, with the trio having won team gold on Tuesday. Dujardin performed her medal winning routine to the tune of a number of patriotic anthems, including The Great Escape theme, Live and Let Die by the Paul McCartney & Wings, Land of Hope and Glory and I Vow to Thee My Country, and received a standing ovation after her routine from the Greenwich Park crown. Bechtolsheimer performed to a Lion King medley.

Yorkshire won another gold medal as Leeds’ Nicola Adams dominated her opponent, the world champion Ren Cancan from China, in the women’s flyweight boxing final. Adams became the first woman ever to win a gold medal in boxing at the Olympics. She looked like winning right from the off, and never trailed in points. At the end of the match, she led 16-7 for a comfortable victory. She even managed to knock Ren to the ground in the second round. Jade Jones has won Great Britain’s first ever gold medal in taekwondo, overcoming China’s Yuzhuo Hou in the final of the women’s under 57kg category. Jones won the bout 6-4, with a strong second round providing the basis for her historic win.

Top news

Usain Bolt has become the first man in history to win back-to-back Olympic sprint doubles after coming home first in the 200m. Bolt clocked a time of 19.32secs, coming home ahead of Yohan Blake, winning his second silver behind Bolt of the Games. Warren Weir took bronze to complete a Jamaican 1-2-3. Bolt’s time was just outside that which won him the 200m in Beijing, 0.13secs slower than his own world record.

Also at the track, Kenya’s David Rudisha set a new world record in winning gold in the men’s 800m, annihilating the field in a strong display. Ashton Eaton of the USA won gold in the decathlon, ahead of world champion and fellow American Trey Hardee. Another American, Christian Taylor, won the gold in men’s triple jump to go alongside the world championship crown he won alst year.

Ireland’s Katie Taylor took boxing gold in an electric ExCel Arena this afternoon. Taylor had dominated her opponents so far in the competition, but this final was a much tighter affair. She trailed by a point at half-way, but in the third round turned up the heat and opened up a lead. Russian opponent Sofya Ochigava had no response as Taylor won Ireland’s second medal, and first gold, of London 2012. It is the first Irish gold since Michelle Smith won three in swimming at Atlanta in 1996.

South Africa’s men’s 4x400m relay team has been given a reprieve and will enter Friday’s final, giving Oscar Pistorius the opportunity to achieve an Olympic first. The team had been knocked-out in the semi-final after a collision with a Kenyan runner saw Ofentse Mogawane fall on the track. But after an appeal, it was determined that the incident was the Kenyan runner’s fault. As a result, South Africa will take Kenya’s place in the final.

An entertaining encounter in the women’s football final between the USA and Japan saw the Americans come out as 2-1 victors to claim the gold medal. The USA took a 2-0 lead over world champions Japan, who pulled one back to set up a grandstand finish. The Americans managed to hold on to continue their domination of Olympic women’s football, having won three of the previous four events (only missing out on gold in 2000 when Norway took the crown). Earlier, an injury-time goal saw Canada overcome France in the third-place play-off and claim the bronze medal. France had outplayed their opponents during the match, but Diana Matheson made them pay for a lack of ruthlessness by converting at the back post shortly before full-time.

Disappointment

Great Britain’s men’s hockey team will play-off against Australia after suffering a 9-2 hammering at the hands of the Netherlands. Britain went two down in the first half before pulling one back, but then the Dutch went on the rampage scoring seven in a row before Britain scored a late consolation. The Netherlands take on Germany for gold, while Great Britain will win bronze if they can overcome the Aussies.

Kerri-Anne Payne just missed out on a medal in the women’s 10km marathon swim. The swim, which took almost two hours to complete and took place in the Serpentine, is one of the most challenging events of the Games. The race ended in a sprint finish, with Payne edged out by less than a second, and is without a medal. Eva Risztov of Hungary took the gold medal.

Other news

Great Britain’s Tom Stalker, who was adjudged to have lost his boxing light-welterweight quarter-final to Munkh-Erdine Uranchimeg of Mongolia, has had an appeal against the result rejected.

And finally…

Two of Great Britain’s most successful Olympians at London 2012 have announced that they are an item. Laura Trott, who won gold in the women’s team pursuit and omnium events, and Jason Kenny, who won men’s team sprint and individual sprint gold, chose to reveal their relationship now that the pressure of the Games is over. Kenny also won a gold and a silver in Beijing.

Robert Harting, the German discus gold medallist, had an eventful night after winning his medal. Harting ran the 100m hurdles and tried to take a part of the Olympic cauldron before leaving the stadium, then found himself getting drunk on a German cruise liner. His Olympic accreditation was then stolen after he had passed out.

Updated medal table

Great Britain is back to winning ways, and has now accrued 25 gold medals. The USA has stormed ahead of China on total medals, now leading 90-80, while also have a two medal advantage in terms of golds. Germany has become the sixth nation into double figures of gold. Ireland, who appeared on the medal table yesterday after a show jumping bronze, has climbed again with Katie Taylor’s gold. Australia has made their first appearance in the top ten. 80 nations have now won at least one medal.

The Olympic Report: Day 12

British medal watch

Mo Farah progressed to the final of the men’s 1500m with ease this morning, coasting to a third place finish in his heat which saw him comfortably qualify. Sophie Hitchon set a new British record for the women’s hammer as she also made her way through to the final of that competition. Steve Lewis has qualified with ease for the men’s pole vault final. He vaulted 5.50m, which was already good enough to progress, and so did not have to take any more attempts.

Nicola Adams will take home at least a silver medal from the Game after reaching the final of the women’s flyweight division. China’s Ren Cancan waits in the final, the favourite and three-time world champion.

Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark are guaranteed a medal in the sailing women’s 470 class, going head to head with New Zealand’s crew in tomorrow’s decisive race for the gold.

In the BMX time trial, which determines seedings for the week’s races, Shanaze Reade qualified as fifth fastest. Reade is a multiple world champion and one of the event’s favourites, having crashed out in the same position in Beijing. Liam Phillips goes in the men’s event after being ranked twelfth today.

Top news

Hungary came through an exciting extra-time encounter to defeat Iceland in the men’s handball quarter-final. Iceland missed a penalty then conceded an equaliser in the last ten seconds of regulation, and Hungary made the most of it in extra-time to hold on for the win. They will face Sweden, who overcame Denmark, in the semi-final. France edged a close game against Spain and will face the winner of Croatia vs. Tunisia.

There was a busy day of finals in the Athletics, with America’s Aries Merritt running a personal best to win gold in the 110m hurdles. Dayron Robles, the defending champion, pulled up with a hamstring injury during the race. Britain’s Lawrence Clarke put in a strong finish to sneak into fourth place. Allyson Felix took the women’s 200m gold in a much anticipated race. The women’s 400m hurdles was won by Natalya Antyukh of Russia in a personal best time. The women’s long jump was won by American Brittney Reese, with Britain’s Shara Proctor coming a lowly ninth.

Spain and Russia will meet in the semi-finals of the men’s basketball after victories in today’s quarter-finals. Argentina beat Brazil in their quarter and will face the winner of the ongoing Australia vs. USA match.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings won a third consecutive gold medal in the women’s beach volleyball after victory today in an all-American final. The pair won the gold medal match in straight sets, 21-16, 21-16.

Disappointment

Tim Brabants was unable to defend his K1 1000m canoe sprint title, finishing in eighth in this morning’s final. Canada’s Adam van Coeverden had come into the final as favourite and burst out into an early lead, but he fell away into second place as Norway’s Eirik Veras Larsen, who won the event in Athens in 2004, came through to take gold.

Daniel Awde has been forced to withdraw from the decathlon due to injury. Awde competed in this morning’s events, but a knee injury has meant that he has decided to drop out of the competition.

Great Britain’s show jumpers were unable to back up their team gold medal with individual glory. Nick Skelton and Scott Brash finished with one fence down and Ben Mayer with two. But the medals went to riders without fences down, Steve Guerdat taking gold with no penalties at all. There was a jump-off for silver and bronze between two riders with only one time fault, Ireland’s Cian O’Connor and Gerco Schroeder of the Netherlands, with the Dutchman eventually claiming silver after an aggressive round in the jump-off.

The Great Britain women’s hockey team will face New Zealand in the bronze medal match after defeat to Argentina. The Argentinians took a first half 2-0 lead, before Great Britain pulled one back late in the second. But they couldn’t level the scores, putting Argentina through to the gold medal match against the Netherlands. They beat New Zealand on penalties after the teams fought out a 2-2 draw after normal and extra time.

Other news

Details have emerged about a Team GB victory parade scheduled for 10 September. The parade will combine winners of both Olympic and Paralympic medals, and will end at Buckingham Palace. It has also been suggested that children may be given the day off school to attend.

The golden post box in Sheffield, painted by the Royal Mail as a tribute to Jessica Ennis’ gold medal winning effort in the heptathlon, has been vandalised. The Royal Mail has said it has repainted the post box as a result of the vandalism.

And finally…

Garth Crooks suggested last night on the BBC that part of the reason for Brazil’s success in the Olympic Games men’s football has been their “4-2-1-3-1” formation, which would suggest that they play with twelve players.

Cuban pole vaulter Lazaro Borges was lucky to escape without injury after his pole snapped into three as he attempted a vault of 5.35m in this morning’s qualifying. He just missed out on qualifying for the final.

Updated medal table

No medal for Team GB today, but our place in third in the medal table is still comfortable. Russia has joined Great Britain, China, USA and South Korea with over ten gold medals. China remain at the top of the table, but the USA has cut the gap after today’s events.

Tomorrow’s big events

Usain Bolt looks to complete the double-double as the men’s 200m final takes place, with the men’s 800m also reaching its end. The women’s open water 10km swim goes ahead, and Great Britain has medal hopes in the individual dressage. Boxing finals start tomorrow, and there are more canoe sprint titles up for grabs. The women’s football gold medal match also takes place tomorrow.

The Olympic Report: Day 11

British medal watch

One family from Yorkshire won two Olympic medals early this afternoon, as Alastair Brownlee won the gold medal in the men’s triathlon, and his brother Jonathan took bronze. The pair excelled throughout the race, amongst the leaders leaving the water after the swimming section and staying in the leading group throughout the cycling. The running saw the competitors start to fragment, with Alastair streaking away at the front. Jonathan was forced to serve a 15 second penalty during the run for a technical infringement earlier in the race, which robbed him of the chance of challenging for gold or silver. Spain’s Javier Gomez took the silver medal.

Team GB added another equestrian gold in the afternoon as they won the team dressage event. The trio of Charlotte Dujardin, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Carl Hester put in another set of top class scores to beat out the German team for first place. All three remain in contention for individual medals.

There was another incredible day in the velodrome as two of cycling’s greats took their final bows at the Olympic Games. Sir Chris Hoy has said he plans to retire after the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, while Victoria Pendleton has said London 2012 is her last competition. Both came away with medals on the final day of track cycling. But it was Laura Trott who got the day up and running with gold in the omnium. Trott went into the final event knowing she needed to finish above America’s Sarah Hammer by three places, and did just that by winning the event while Hammer finished fourth. Pendleton was up next, but could only achieve silver as Australia’s Anna Meares took gold in the women’s individual sprint. Pendleton had won the first race, but the win was handed to Meares due to an infringement by Pendleton. Meares than won a tactical second race to secure the overall win. But Chris Hoy got the team back on track with gold in the men’s keirin. Hoy took to the front with two and half laps remaining and, despite temporarily falling into second, surged back to the front to take the win. Hoy ends his Olympic career with six gold medals and one silver.

Nick Dempsey won a silver medal in the men’s windsurfing. Dempsey went into today’s final race needing only to finish in the top six to secure the silver medal, and he did so with ease ending the race in third position. The Netherlands’ Dorian van Rijsselberge took gold. Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell in the men’s 470 class are now guaranteed at least a silver medal. They are in competition with Matthew Belcher and Malcolm Page of Australia for gold. The Australians have a narrow leading going into the medal race.

Robbie Grabarz took a bronze medal in the men’s high jump, after three jumpers could not be separated in joint third place. Ivan Ukhov jumped clear at 2.38m to take the title, with Erik Kynard of the USA taking silver, and Derek Drouin of Canada and Mutaz Essa Barshin of Qatar also taking a bronze medal each.

Great Britain’s men’s hockey team has joined the women in the semi-finals of that tournament. They needed a win against Spain to guarantee progress after Pakistan were defeated earlier in the day, and they achieved just that with a 1-1 result.

Top news

Australia will take on the USA in the semi-finals of the women’s basketball competition. The American’s trounced Canada in their quarter-final, whereas the Aussies had a closer game against China. Russia scraped through to the semis with a 66-63 win over Turkey, and will face France who also won a close match-up, against the Czech Republic. In women’s handball, all four quarter-finals were close encounters decided by three points or less. The semi-final lines up sees Norway take on South Korea and Spain facing Montenegro.

The USA is guaranteed the gold and silver medal in the women’s beach volleyball as both pairs of its pairs in the tournament reached the gold medal match. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Smith have won the last two Olympic tournaments, but to make a third victory they will have to get past compatriots April Ross and Jennifer Kessy. In the men’s event, Brazil’s Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego have reached the final, and will take on the German pair of Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann.

The men’s hockey semi-finals will see Australia face Germany and Great Britain take on the Neterlands. Australia trounced Pakistan to confirm their place in the top of Pool A. The Netherlands have remained the only team in the competition with a 100% record after victory over South Korea.

China took gold in the women’s team event table tennis. They defeated Japan 3-0 in the final. Singapore took bronze after defeating South Korea in the play-off. Brazil and Japan will contest the first semi-final in the women’s volleyball after victories today. The USA has also qualified for the semis and will face South Korea after they came from behind to defeat Italy.

The USA and Spain will fight it out for gold in the women’s water polo after both teams came through their semi-finals with victory. Both teams are guaranteed a medal, whereas the semi-final losers, Australia and Hungary, will have to battle for bronze.

Germany’s Robert Harting took gold in the discus with a throw of 68.27m. Also in the athletics, Australia’s performance at the Games has markedly improved as Sally Pearson collected the gold medal in the 100m hurdles in an Olympic record time. Meanwhile controversial Algerian Taoufik Makhloufi, who was originally disqualified from the Games before being reinstated for not trying in the 800m, took gold in the men’s 1500m in a dominant performance.

Mexico is guaranteed an Olympic medal in men’s football after a come-from-behind victory over Japan. Yuki Otso opened the scoring after 12 minutes, but goals by Marco Fabian after half an hour, and Oribe Peralta after a little more than an hour put Mexico ahead, a lead they would not relinquish. Javier Cortes added a third in injury time to complete the scoring at 3-1. In the final they will face Brazil who cruised to victory over South Korea 3-0, thanks to a first half goal from Romulo and two goals in quick succession either side of the hour mark from Leandro Damiao. This means the bronze medal match will be an all-Asian affair.
 

Unsung Hero

Marina Alabau won Spain’s first gold medal of the Games in the RS:X windsurfing discipline. Alabau led heading into the medal race, and won that race to ensure that she would take home the gold.

Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina of Russia became the first gold medal winners in synchronised swimming at London 2012, winning the women’s duet free routine competition.
 

Disappointment

Phillips Idowu crashed out of qualifying in the men’s triple jump after failing to record a jump long enough to place him in the top twelve, who qualify for the final. Idowu has had various problems coming into the Games, suffering from niggling injuries but also having a war of words with UK Athletics. Women’s javelin hope Goldie Sayers also failed to qualify for her final. An elbow injury flared up in practice and Sayers recorded three no throws to be eliminated. She has vowed to continue on to Rio 2016.

China’s Liu Xiang, winner of gold in the men’s 110m hurdles in Athens in 2004, pulled up before the second hurdle with an Achilles injury in this morning’s heat. Xiang had to be helped from the track and is now out of the competition. Xiang also missed out on a medal at his home Olympics, Beijing 2008, due to injury. He reached the final, but pulled out at the last minute.
 

Other news

Seven Cameroonian athletes have gone AWOL, Olympic officials have said. It is thought they may be intending to remain in Europe rather than go home with the colleagues.

Alastair Brownlee has criticised the penalty which saw his brother Jonathan drop gown to third in the men’s triathlon earlier today.
 

And finally…

British pole vaulter Holly Bleasdale put in a disappointing performance in her final yesterday, finishing sixth. However her day did take a turn for the better, as she revealed her boyfriend proposed to her after the final, and she accepted.
 

Updated medal table

China has extended its lead over the USA to four gold medals. Great Britain, on 22 golds, has now won more gold medals at this Olympics than in Beijing in 2008. Team GB has now also won gold medals in more different disciplines than the USA, and excluding swimming (in which the USA won 16 golds) Team GB would be comfortably ahead of their American rivals.

Interestingly, after today’s events Yorkshire has now won 5 gold medals which, if it were a country, would place it 11^th, ahead of Australia, Japan and Spain. The Brownlee family on its own sits equal 37^th alongside Lithuania and ahead of Mexico, Serbia and Argentina.

Tomorrow’s big events

More medal hopes for Great Britain tomorrow as the individual show jumping medals are given out. There are finals for the women’s 400m hurdles and 200m, and men’s 110m hurdles. The women’s beach volleyball gold medal match goes ahead, as well as an array of canoe sprint finals at Eton Dorney. There are also a significant number of knock-out matches in hockey, volleyball, handball, water polo and a number of other sports.