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