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Usain Bolt ended
the Olympic Games athletics programme in the way only
he possibly could – by breaking another world record.

But this time the fastest man on the globe had to slow down and have an anxious wait.

The amazing Jamaican team of Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Bolt had combined to win in an amazing 36.84.

But
as they began their celebrations, after Bolt had used all his power to
overtake Ryan Bailey, of the USA, in the home straight, silence filled
the arena.

The stadium announcer revealed that the judges were looking at the race again.

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Then, suddenly, he revealed the outcome.

The
Canadians had run out of their lane on the final bend and were
­disqualified from finishing third… and it was party time once more
in London and ­Jamaica.

Bolt
said: “It’s always a beautiful thing to end on this note. Last year we
did it at the world championships and for me, it’s a wonderful feeling.
It was a great championship. I am happy. The team came out and did
their all.

“I knew a world record was possible. I wish we could have gone faster – but I guess we leave room for improvement.

“I have thought about Rio, but it will be hard because Yohan has just come into the game.

“He is running pretty well and I am sure there are going to be a lot more young cats coming up to run.

“This is just wonderful, I am so happy. I will take it a step at a time and see what happens in four years.”

After
the finishing line Bolt did the Mo-bot, coping Farah’s hand-on-the-head
celebration routine and he added: “I told him I was going to do it.
Yeah, boy!”

The brilliant Bolt has reached yet another level here this week.

He
has six gold medals which puts him third on the all-time track and
field list of Olympians behind Carl Lewis, with nine and another
­American Ray Ewry, with eight.

The USA were second in 37.04 with Trinidad third in 38.12.

But are there any superlatives left to say about Bolt?

Now he has the double-treble.

He is not just rewriting the record books, he is forcing the sport to create new phrases for his success.

Four
years on from Beijing, he has won gold in the same events where he
dominated and for one person to do that over a four-year Olympic cycle
is just astonishing.

The
USA quartet of Nell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Ryan ­Bailey
also broke their national record, but they were never going to beat the
Jamaicans unless they had a long lead before the final leg.

That was never going to happen. Blake to Bolt, from leg three to four, is just a frightening prospect.

And
Lightning took the stick and just charged away to smash the old world
record time of 37.04 secs and the old Olympic record time of 37.10.

Jamaica
were actually trailing the USA after the second baton change but Blake
flew away. Bolt, naturally, ­because of the superstar he is, takes all
the headlines – and so he should.

But
let us not forget what a Games Blake has had. He was second behind Bolt
in both the 100m and 200m and now he has his Olympic gold.

If
the Games wanted its track and field programme to end on a high, Seb
Coe and his amazing organising team could not have asked for more.

Britain’s women did their best in the 4 x 400m relay but they were never going to match the power of the USA.

Led
by Sanya Richards-Ross, the USA won gold in the fourth fastest run of
all time, 3:16.87, with Britain, with ­Christine Ohuruogu on the final
leg, fifth in 3:24.76.

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/usain-bolt-ended-the-olympic-games-1253475

One of the ‘Super Seven’ young athletes who lit the Olympic cauldron has been so inspired by the Games she wants to be the next Jessica Ennis.

Adelle Tracey helped to light the ‘Flame of Unity’ at the opening ceremony – and has now had her own ambitions sparked by Team GB’s ­soaring success.

The 19-year-old runner, who won 800m silver for Great Britain in the European Youth Olympic Festival in Finland, was identified by Dame Kelly Holmes as one of the stars of the future.

“I’ve been to see lots of events, but last Saturday was absolutely amazing,” she said. “Seeing Jess Ennis and Mo Farrah and the fact we go got six golds was so exciting.

“The whole thing has been really inspiring to me – and to my generation.

“Jess, in particular, has inspired me. She was the poster girl for London – and if I was asked to do that for the next Games, I would love to.

“But, of course, I’ve got my feet on the ground. The main thing is to get to the Worlds and the Commonwealth Games – but qualifying for the 2016 Olympics is the ultimate goal.”

Tracey was nominated by Dame Kelly to be one of seven young athletes to light a single flame on the ground, which triggered the ignition of more than 200 “petals”.

She feels that young girls, in particular, will see Ennis, cyclist Lizzie Armitstead, rowers Helen Glover and Heather ­Stanning and want to ­emulate them.

She said: “They are all such great role models. The men, too. An Olympic medal is the highest accolade. The success of these games has made everyone sit up and see how good we are at sport in this country.

“It really spurs you on.

“There is a feelgood factor.”

The Surrey star-in-the-making is still on a high after running through the jam-packed Olympic stadium 17 days ago, with thousands of people cheering on her and her fellow ­youngsters.

“It was all a big secret,” she ­explained. “I told my friends I would be in London for the ­ceremony and had a small part, so they might see me – otherwise they might have switched off.

“There’s nothing that can top this, other than competing at an Olympics and getting a medal.

“I want to be a full-time athlete but, until I get full-time ­funding, I need a job.

“I’m studying at the Arts University College in Bournemouth, specialising in make-up artistry

“I’d love to go into prosthetics – making limbs – because that really interests me.”

For now, though, Adelle feels inspired by the Olympics and her role in them.

“The feeling I got that night, it was like the one I get before a race,” she said.

“The only thing I was worried about was that we had to turn on the ­torches ourselves.

“I like to take everything in my stride ­anyway. Since I was young, I’ve been ­singing and dancing and performing on the stage.

“A lot of people have asked me whether I was nervous, but I wasn’t – and that’s because I saw it as performing.”

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/adelle-tracey-helped-light-the-flame-1251381

The Brownlee brothers can’t wait for tonight’s closing ceremony – so they can leave the Games and get back to being normal Yorkshire lads.

Since triathlon gold medallist Alistair and bronze winner Jonny thrilled the huge crowd in Hyde Park – and millions on TV – the BT Ambassadors have had a taste of the celebrity lifestyle.

But they would much rather be back in Bramhope, away from the spotlight.

“I can’t wait to get back to ­normal,” said 22-year-old Jonny. “Bramhope’s a nice small community.

“We’ve got the old neighbours, who know us, the village shop owner, who knows us, the village baker, who knows us.

“They all look after us and are very friendly. But they don’t make a fuss. If we go back to that and get back to training and not get ­recognised, it will be great.”

Alistair added: “People say we’ll become like rock stars, but we’ll see. I wouldn’t like it.

“We both enjoy our lives as they are. A bit of recognition is nice, but in small doses.

“I wouldn’t like it to be like this all the time.”

Whereas Bradley Wiggins and Jessica Ennis enjoy rubbing shoulders with The Stone Roses and Paul Weller, the Brownlees can’t wait to get back on their bikes, in the pool and on the tracks.

Alistair, 24, ­insisted: “What drove us in the first place was just wanting to achieve.

“The achievement is winning the gold medal. You’ve gone through the process of training as hard as you can to make yourself as good as you can, so, on the day, you have the performance and win the gold medal.”

Jonny explained: “I’ve missed out on things like parties and clubbing – but I’ve had so many great experiences ­instead.

“When I was younger at school and my friends went out at night, I’d go swimming. They’d say, ‘What about later, then?’ I’d say, ‘I’m cycling, sorry’. They got used to that. That’s the norm for us. It’s our life.

“We never had the other side when we were young.”

And Alistair said: “There isn’t any harm in ­drinking a bit of alcohol every so often. It’s good to relax.

“Obviously getting smashed every night would not be good.

“We haven’t gone out clubbing or mixed with rock stars, though, but we’ve had a few drinks.”

After tonight’s ceremony, they are going back up north to Bramhope, near Leeds – after enjoying being part of Team Yorkshire as well as Team GB.

“It’s been a very successful Olympics and it’s great to get so many golds,” said Jonny. “But it’s great that Yorkshire have got so many too, with ­Jessica Ennis and Nicola Adams.”

And will they be back in Rio to defend their medals?

“I hope so,” said Alistair.

“I think I will do it at Rio, but I don’t know. In triathlon, you don’t necessarily look forward to the four years, there’s World and Commonwealth Games – you take it a step at a time.”

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/the-brownlee-are-normal-yorkshire-lads-1251630

Sir Chris Hoy has anointed Jason Kenny as the new king of cycling – and predicts his team-mate will become even more of a legend than him.

The Scot has been hailed as Britain’s greatest-ever ­sportsman after winning his sixth Olympic gold medal – but he is now passing on the baton of greatness to his younger team-mate.

Kenny was Britain’s first double gold medallist of ­London 2012 in an ­astonishing performance by the magic wheels of Team GB.

When Hoy was Kenny’s age – 24 – he had yet to medal, which is why he believes the quietly spoken Lancastrian is destined for­ ­megastardom.

Hoy told Sunday Mirror Sport: “Jason can overtake me.

“I am sure he will go on to become one of the greatest sprinters of all time.

“He’s got everything that you need to be a top-level sprinter.

“He’s got the temperament.

“He’s very calm under ­pressure. Nothing seems to faze the guy.

“He’s
very fast and works hard. The work ethic is very important to him. You have to go through this monotony and treadmill for the training for the four years.

“Your reward is when you step up there on the biggest stage you’ve performed.

“It
would be unfair to pick out one person in particular, but of all the medals the track team have won during this Games, Jason’s gave me the most ­personal pride because I know how hard it is to do what he did.

“He just excelled. The way he dealt with it all was ­fantastic.

“He’s very laid back and has a great future ahead of him.”

Britain’s
track ­cyclists have matched their medal haul from Beijing – but Sir Chris insists that there is a wealth of ­cycling talent waiting to take over the ­Olympic mantle from him and ­Victoria ­Pendleton.

Apart
from Kenny, he thinks Pendleton’s team sprint partner Jessica Varnish, Laura Trott – only the third female Brit to win two gold medals at the same ­Olympics – and Lizzie ­Armitstead are part of a new generation who
can match their exploits.

He said: “I take a lot of pride in the new generation who can be as good as me, Vicky, Bradley and Cav (Mark ­Cavendish).

“The ultimate prize, though, is ­increasing the interest in ­cycling.

“Getting people to use their bikes to get to work, you realise you have made a change.

“In 20 years of British ­cycling, I’ve seen more sport become a lot more popular.

“After a time gap, I want to become a coach.

“I’d love to be there on the track cheering on the boys and the girls at some point in the future.”

The man he credits for the phenomenal cycling success is performance director Dave Brailsford.

Hoy said: “I can’t praise Dave highly enough.

“I’m lucky, we’re all lucky, to have him as our team ­leader.

“He’s not afraid of making hard decisions.

“He can be tough when he has to be, but you can still have a laugh with him.

“You’re not terrified of the guy. He’s very approachable.

“If people say to him, ‘You can’t do that, it hasn’t been done’, he says, ‘Why not?’

“He doesn’t see why you have to conform to the traditional approach to everything.

“Dave has had the ­ability to gather the right people to do the job. He has managed to draw the dream team together.”

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/sir-chris-hoy-believes-jason-1251167

You wouldn’t think that crying was a fun pastime. But in the last few weeks, we’ve not stopped doing it. We wailed in work, sobbed on our sofa, and we’ve had moments of crying on the tube just remembering Jess Ennis’ face when she won the heptathlon.

So as it comes to a close, here’s our tribute to  all things weepy during London 2012. Suffice to say that in a minute, we’ll be crying again. Oh god, we’re going.

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Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/athletics/london-2012-all-the-pictures-of-the-athletes-crying-1246944

It may be the final day of London 2012, but that doesn’t mean the action’s over just yet. Follow all the action here with Ben Curtis as the final 15 golds are competed for

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/olympics-live-blog-follow-all-the-action-1253955

Former Siena defender Emanuele Pesoli has chained himself to the headquarters of the Italian Football Association out of protest at a three-year ban given to him yesterday, according to reports in Italy.

The defender, who now plays for Italian second-division side Hella Verona, was banned by the Italian FA’s (FIGC) disciplinary committee for three years for an alleged involvement in match fixing.

He was accused by two former team-mates, Carlo Gervasoni and Filippo Carobbio, of assisting in the fixing of Siena’s game with Varese in May 2011, but he maintains his innocence and has started a protest which he hopes will lead to justice.

“I will be staying here until I cannot hold out any longer,” he is quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I will wait for somebody – the president of the FIGC Giancarlo Abete.

“They are ruining my life for something which I have not done. Before I finish playing, I want to fight with all of my strength.”

Pesoli has the right to appeal before August 20 and he wants to meet Carobbio and Gervasoni face to face to bring out what he claims to be the truth.

“I feel very hurt by this verdict,” he added. “I want to see the people who are accusing me. This is a very strong protest.”

The saga has also seen Antonio Conte, who is now coach of Italian champions Juventus but was formerly in charge at Siena, banned for 10 months.

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/italy-match-fixing-emanuele-pesoli-1251166

Amid all the euphoria over Britain’s Olympic triumphs – let us not ­forget our other big ­winners at these Games – the BBC.

Just as Danny Boyle ­saluted the sterling ­contribution of the NHS to the nation at the opening ceremony, we should all remember the part played by another national ­treasure, the Beeb, in bringing this spectacular to the living rooms of the many millions of who couldn’t get tickets.

No other public service broadcaster on the planet could have matched the quantity and quality of the output served up by BBC’s 27 channel service.

The enormous volume of coverage meant it wasn’t always perfect, as we saw on the first day with a communication breakdown in the cycling.

And there have been complaints over the heavy emphasis given to Team GB success, domination of news programmes by ­Olympic reports and claims commentators crossed the line from ­excited patriotism to downright jingoism.

But overall it was a ­winning production that provided a feast of classic memories ranging from Usain Bolt’s historic sprint double to British poster girl Jessica Ennis winning the heptathlon and our greatest-ever ­Olympian, Sir Chris Hoy cycling to a sixth gold.

My personal highlight was ­provided by ­Kenyan runner David Rudisha who came close to track perfection in ­winning the men’s 800 metres title in a world record time.

His post-race interview epitomised his dignity and humility – qualities I rarely encounter in my job as a football reporter.

We saw first Olympics women’s boxing medals for Britain’s Nicola Adams and Ireland’s Katy Taylor.

Any doubts about the ability of women to box were dispelled for me by two brilliant displays.

A fortnight of sporting excellence on television came as part of the BBC’S £145.50p ­licence fee and provided a ­wonderful sporting oasis in an ever-increasing desert of ­rampant commercialism spearheaded by Sky.

Sadly, viewers’ dreams of a free-to-air dedicated sports channel are nothing more than a mirage as the financial muscle of Sky drives up the price of top events.

But for 17 unforgettable days British viewers were treated to a sporting ­extravaganza that worked out at a measly 40p-a-day.

Perhaps one of the ­major lessons Britain should take on board from ­London 2012 is that we must find the financial will to better support not only the NHS, but also the BBC.

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/bbc-are-the-big-olympic-games-winners-1251074

Another exciting day in this great sporting tournament beckons. Enjoy the action from day 15 with our as-it-happens live blog

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/london-2012-olympics-live-blog-1250930

Will they or won’t they? That is the question.

Will England win the third and final Test at Lords against South Africa to square the series, maintain their record of eight unbeaten home series and ­remain the number one-ranked Test side in the world?

Will the selectors stick with the tried and tested formula of playing four ­front-line bowlers or gamble in this must-win game?

Will they recall Graeme Swann, after his surprise omission at Headingley last week, in favour of a four-man pace attack?

These
are all ­discussion points that will have tested the ­England selectors
as they pick the squad for the biggest home Test in years.

And
yes, the most time-consuming and frustrating element of the ­selection meeting will have revolved around Kevin Pietersen. The KP scenario has rapidly developed since he suggested that the next Test could be his last.

So will they or won’t they pick KP for Lord’s and will it be the last time we see him in an England shirt?

There
is history between England and KP, which dates back to when he was stripped of the captaincy after just three Test matches and nine one-day
internationals, following a number of disputes with then team coach Peter Moores at the start of 2009.

He
announced his retirement from all forms of limited-over international cricket in the middle of this season, citing the scheduling and workload
placed on the modern day cricketer.

The
ECB and KP obviously still have big issues with each other and, as his employers, the ECB will not be dictated to by one of their employees.

It
is imperative that the ECB make the right decisions because everyone must understand that no individual is bigger than the team or an organisation – ­however good he may be.

The
dressing room will always have personality clashes, but so long as the clashes do not boil over and affect results, then I have no problems.

You
can choose if you wish to socialise with your work colleagues, but, when at work, it is imperative that everyone is pulling in the same direction.

Coach Andy Flower
and skipper ­Andrew Strauss have to make sure that the environment within the team is a healthy one so that everyone can concentrate on winning this Test match.

Flower
is a man of principle and does not duck tough decisions. He’s the man who wore a black armband during the 2003 World Cup to protest against the policies of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe government. I don’t see a problem with one of his players causing him too much of a headache.

I
hope that this ugly situation can be resolved amicably as KP is a world-class player, who the cricketing public will want to continue see perform on the ­international stage.

Whenever
KP hangs up his bat and calls it a day, he should want to be able to look back on a fantastic career and have no ­regrets.

I
just hope that he is thinking everything through thoroughly and receiving good advice, otherwise he could soon be the forgotten man of world cricket and that would be a big shame.

Finally,
I believe Swann will return to the starting line-up, with the final ­bowling spot between Tim Bresnan, Steve Finn and Graham Onions being decided once the pitch and overhead conditions have been analysed.

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/will-kevin-pietersen-be-picked-for-lords-1251327