TSFE's Team GB 2012 Awards

Team GB's stars are truly deserving of this mural outside Adidas' Oxford Street store

Over seven years ago, London was announced as the host of the 2012 Olympics and a set of events was set in motion which resulted in the unparalleled glory and national fervour which has reverberated around the capital, and the rest of the country, for the past two and a half weeks. To mark the end of a truly remarkable tournament, I thought I would pinpoint some of the finest athletes, sports and moments of the thirtieth Olympiad. It would prove a near impossible task to cover the entire cast of this fantastic festival of sport, consisting of over 10,000 athletes from 204 countries so I have narrowed down The Search for Excellence's awards to those that are part of Team GB. After all, the British have had their greatest Olympic performance for over half a century, and on home soil as well. Here we go...


Best man -  Ben Ainslie (Sailing)

Ainslie nabbed his fourth gold in four Games

Also in contention: Sir Chris Hoy (Track Cycling), Mo Farah (Athletics), Alistair Brownlee (Triathlon), Andy Murray (Tennis).

The sailor, already assured a place in the pantheon of greats, made sure that what will probably be his final Olympics was one to remember. Pushed every step of the way by Danish rival Jonas Hogh-Christensen he showed up when it mattered most and defeated his opponent in the final medal race to claim his fourth successive sailing gold at different Olympic Games. The eight-times world champion is now 35 and also won a silver way back at Atlanta 1996 but victory in front of a home crowd at Weymouth is a truly majestic way to cap a magnificent career. Ainslie's success at multiple Olympiads, one tournament short of equalling Sir Steve Redgrave's five golds in a row, puts him ahead of the others in this category, although Sir Chris Hoy's double gold haul, which takes his total tally to six was mightily impressive. He will be much happier with the result of the next award...


Best sport- Track Cycling

The velodrome was the scene of much British success

Also in contention: Rowing, Boxing, Equestrian.

The velodrome was the scene of some of Team GB's finest victories with seven golds, a silver and a bronze claimed by our incredible cycling team. Before the indoor variety of cycling got underway, Team GB had already claimed three gongs on the road thanks to Bradley Wiggins' gold, Lizzie Armitstead's silver and Chris Froome's bronze but that achievement was blown out of the water by the utter domination seen under the roof of the 6,000 capacity venue. Established heroes Hoy and Victoria Pendleton embellished their reputations further at the tail-ends of their respective careers while a new generation arose led by newly-confirmed couple Laura Trott and Jason Kenny. Keirin, sprint, team sprint, team pursuit, omnium...you name it, Team GB won it. An exciting sport to watch and showcasing some of Britain's most likeable athletes, this track cycling effort will take some beating next time out in Brazil.

Biggest surprise success- Andy Murray

Murray exceeded expectations to defeat Djokovic and Federer

Also in contention: Peter Wilson (Shooting), Greg Rutherford (Long jump), Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott (Canoe Slalom)

Andy Murray has been one of the great enigmas of British sport over recent years. Love him or hate him, it is impossible not to share in his frustration as he repeatedly gets so far in tennis Grand Slams only to be slain by one of the holy trinity - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. With Nadal out of the way at the Olympics because of injury, Murray still had a mighty task on his hands to get past Djokovic and Federer. Not only that but he had to juggle his men's singles schedule with a run to the final of the mixed doubles with team-mate Laura Robson, which meant he had to play multiple games in the same day and compete on eight of the nine days that the tennis tournaments ran for. To contend with this and still manage to despatch both Djokovic and Federer in straight sets is an achievement not to be shirked at. The silver earned with Robson was an added bonus but Murray conquered his Wimbledon demons as part of Team GB and will be looking forward to returning for next year's traditional tennis tournament.


Best support act - The Opening Ceremony

Boyle's ingenious works were in stark contrast to Beijing

Also in contention: The Games Makers, The Army (for their security work), Boris Johnson

It is hard to consider Danny Boyle's incredible show as a support act for the sport, as it so magnificently took centre stage on the opening night and will remain fresh in the memories of all those that watched it forever more. But the mood which was set on Friday 27th July echoed throughout the whole of the Olympics tournament and for Team GB in particular reminded fans and athletes alike why they are proud to be British. From the Queen to the Beatles and from Mr. Bean to James Bond, the cacophony of craziness which was broadcast to the world at the start of London 2012 truly reflected the good and the great of Great Britain's culture, and the inclusion of Sir Steve Redgrave, David Beckham and the seven young athletes who lit the Olympic flame made sure that the sporting ideals of the Olympics were never quite forgotten. The thousands of volunteers and security staff who have ensured the smooth running of the tournament also deserve recognition but of all the non-sporting achievements during these Games, Boyle's show was emphatically unbeatable.

Best woman- Nicola Adams (Boxing)

Adams' smile is arguably the best seen since footballer Dwight Yorke

Also in contention: Jessica Ennis (Heptathlon), Katherine Grainger (Rowing), Laura Trott (Cycling)

Many at London 2012 have legitimate claims for making history but for the women's flyweight boxer from Leeds, that claim is extra strong. Adams is the first ever woman to win a gold medal for boxing at the Olympics, as this was the first time the sport was ever included in the schedule for the Games. The 29-year-old fought hard not only to claim her gold medal but also to promote a sport which was only truly accepted in Britain in the late 1990s. The first ever woman to represent England in boxing, back in 2001, she has now become a national icon and is likely to have played a key role in London 2012's aim of 'inspiring a generation'. Boxing, and the women's version in particular, went down extremely well at the Excel arena, and people will be looking forward to women's boxing becoming more prominent in future. Adams herself is almost always seen sporting a huge grin and after her incredible victory, she certainly deserves to be smiling.

Best moment- Ennis, Rutherford and Farah's 46 minute hat-trick (Athletics)

Ennis, Farah and Rutherford will never forget the 4th August 2012

Also in contention: Grainger and Glover bring home Team GB's first gold (Rowing), Gemma Gibbons emotional semi-final victory (Judo), the Brownlee brothers both reach the podium (Triathlon)

On the middle weekend of London 2012, excitement peaked for Team GB when in one golden hour three British athletes stormed the Olympic Stadium like never seen before. First, Jessica Ennis confirmed her utter domination of the heptathlon event, finishing first in the final event, the 800m, to end the standings over 300 points clear of second place. Then, almost immediately, the unheralded Greg Rutherford claimed Great Britain's first long jump gold since 1964 to send the crowd crazy. And it got even better as everybody's favourite British distance runner Mo Farah stormed to glory in the 10,000m race, one of the hardest track and field events. Timing his run to perfection Farah stormed ahead towards the end of the 25 lap race and proved uncatchable.  Dubbed the finest moment in the history of Great Britain's athletics team, it is hard to imagine another sporting hour ever capturing the heart of the public in quite the same way again.

Best team-  Nick Skelton, Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Peter Charles (Men's Show Jumping - Equestrian)

Age wasn't a barrier for this generation-spanning quarter

Also in contention: Laura Trott, Dani King, Joanna Rowsell(Women's Team Pursuit - Cycling), Andy Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Alex Gregory, Tom James (Men's Coxless Fours - Rowing), Sam Oldham, Louis Smith, Dan Purvis, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock (Men's Team - Gymnastic)

One of the most dramatic team successes saw GB take the gold in equestrian show jumping, the first time the Brits have achieved a medal of any colour in this event for 60 years. With two men in their 50s and two in their 20s making up the quartet, it was a triumph of great teamwork and team ethic as the Dutch were defeated in a high pressure jump off at the fantastic Greenwich Park venue. The Irish-British 52-year-old Peter Charles sealed the success with a flawless round but this medal was one which reflected the efforts of a genuine team and another medal which wouldn't have been expected before the tournament began.

Best coach - Alberto Salazar (Mo Farah)

Salazar is sandwiched by his apprentices Galen Rupp and Farah

Also in contention: Ivan Lendl (Andy Murray), Toni Minichiello (Jessica Ennis), Charles van Commenee (head coach of UK Athletics)

Mo Farah is one of the greatest success stories of London 2012. Not only did he storm to the 10,000m gold but he added the 5,000m title a week later. However, back in Beijing 2008, the then 25-year-old didn't even make the final of the 10,000m. So how did things turn around so much? Much credit has to be given to the 54-year-old American coach Alberto Salazar. Farah himself claimed that his success was down to Salazar's 'brilliant tactical nous' but his coach says one of the major factors is getting the runner to work out more in the gym. 'I got him lifting weights...You can't win races at this level without upper body strength' says Salazar. Whatever he has been getting Farah to do in training, it is certainly doing the trick as his apprentice is now one of the true British Olympic greats.

That wraps things up for The Search for Excellence. Thank you to everybody who has read these articles throughout the Olympics, hopefully they were enjoyable. James will now return to @jfaphillips on Twitter (still the same account, just under a different name from @TSFE2012) and you can continue to read his work on his football blog Born in an Offside Position at jfaphillips.blogspot.com. Expect that to return later this week. Here's to Rio 2016!

The Friday Feeling #3

This is the Friday Feeling. The third and final installation of a hat-trick of features which have appeared on The Search for Excellence each Friday (you guessed it) during the Olympics. Expect some astute observations, irreverent opinions and priceless nuggets of information...possibly. 

Daley will be looking for a late GB gold this week

TODAY

It's day 14 of the 2012 Olympics and with only two more days to go it really is reaching the business end of the tournament. There is still plenty of action left to be packed into these final 72 hours though and today will see Tom Daley in the individual 10m platform diving preliminary rounds as well as Lisa Dobriskey and Laura Weightman competing in the final of the 1500m in the Olympic stadium. It is hard to believe that two weeks have already passed since Danny Boyle's mood-setting Opening Ceremony and what we have witnessed in the fortnight since has been nothing short of incredible, with heroes arising wherever you look, as well as a generous amount of upsets, surprises and controversy. After Usain Bolt last night proved his dominance of the track with another display of raw pace in the 200m, the definitive hero of the Games may already be set in stone but there is plenty more to talk about.

THE MOOD

The slow start for Team GB is all but a distant memory now leaving an overriding feeling of satisfaction, from a British perspective at least. We have now stormed past our performance in Beijing 2008 with over 50 medals and well over 20 golds. The incredible gold rush which ensued over last weekend peaked with Saturday night's wonderful triple whammy of Jessica Ennis winning the heptathlon, Greg Rutherford taking a surprise gold from the men's long jump and the amicable Mo Farah storming to success in the men's 10,000m. This was sandwiched nicely by plenty of success for Great Britain's rowers and cyclists with Sir Chris Hoy making himself even more of a legend by claiming two more gold medals to overtake Sir Steve Redgrave as Britain's Olympian with the most golds. In fact the mood in the cycling camp was made even more clear by Thursday's announcement from double gold winner Laura Trott that her and fellow double gold winner Jason Kenny were now an item. Everybody's happy. Or are they? Let's take to Twitter for another round-up of thoughts and opinions....

This Liverpudlian was won over to the Olympic cause by gold medallists Usain Bolt and Jess Ennis...

#London2012 nearly over actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would, Usian Bolt boss & Jessica Ennis all I can say is WOW what a woman!
— Scouser_Mikey (@Scouser_Mikey) August 10, 2012

While this Hartlepool United midfielder thinks the media should be more focused on the Brits than the Jamaicans...

So #TeamGB win golds yesterday and make history yet the front and back pages of newspapers are full of Usain Bolt and co! Not right!!
— Simon Walton (@SimonWalton8) August 10, 2012

And I think this man has pretty much hit the nail on the head for how a lot of us are feeling right now...

Is contemplating life without the Olympics #whattodo #teamgb
— sam (@samtcity) August 10, 2012

As has this proud Brit...

Can't believe the Olympics are nearly over!! It has been such an amazing couple of weeks!! Definitely makes you proud to be British! #teamgb
— matthew Burnett (@burney96) August 10, 2012

And in fact, try as I might, it has proven impossible to find a negative tweet about the Olympics. I have trawled through various Twitter hashtags but to no avail. Looks like nearly everyone has enjoyed it. No doubt that would be news to Seb Coe's ears.

THE BLUNDERS

Somewhat surprisingly there have been very few blunders during the actual tournament from LOCOG or Team GB. The tournament has gone extremely well from the organisers' perspective and even better from the perspective of the athletes who have ensured that Great Britain have their greatest medal haul since 1908, which doesn't really count anyway as back then very few athletes travelled from around the world meaning most competitors were from the host nation. But that doesn't mean nobody has messed up. The prime blunderer of this week has got to be Belgian cyclist Gijs van Hoecke. The 20-year-old who competed in both the omnium and the team pursuit earlier in the week was photographed when he was clearly absolutely hammered, leaving a London nightclub. Seemingly drenched, with what was presumably alcoholic beverages, and borderline unconscious, albeit with a smile on his face, the cyclist was sent home from the Olympic village by a fuming Belgian Olympic Committee. It is perhaps excusable after what would no doubt have been gruelling training for months in advance of the tournament, but van Hoecke hasn't done himself any favours. The Gent-born Olympian was more concerned about his parents than his country's Olympic governing body though, and was relieved when they didn't tell him off saying, 'I made a big mistake [but] I'm happy that my parents didn't tell me off. They understand that I needed this.' Another worrying issue, of a completely different kind is that involving several Cameroonian athletes. The group, consisting of five boxers, a footballer and a swimmer went AWOL this week without the Cameroon Olympic Committee having a clue of their whereabouts. It is believed that they are seeking asylum but as they all have visas which last until November, they technically haven't done anything wrong yet. It would be pretty surprising if they turned up any time soon...

van Hoecke was far from sober on his big night out in London

THE QUESTION

So, Sir Chris Hoy landed gold medals in the keirin and team sprint events to add to his three golds from Beijing, one from Athens and the solitary silver from way back in Sydney. But does that make him the (drum roll) 'Greatest British Olympian of All Time'. Well quite possibly, but Sir Steve Redgrave is still perfectly within his rights to claim that title. The cyclist may have won more golds than him now, but the fact Redgrave won his over five different Olympiads makes it a different kind of achievement. Hoy was excellent in 2004, world-conquering in 2008 and confirmed his legendary status in 2012. But Redgrave showed he was the bees knees in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000. To be good enough to win a gold medal in both 1984 and 2000 is an incredible achievement. To be consistent enough to have won one at every Olympics in between is beyond comparison. Hoy has proven himself to be a fantastic role model and a hero to millions, a genuine legend and one of the finest sportsmen of all time. But Redgrave is still the daddy.

Two of Britain's finest specimens of men

THE VILLAIN

It pains me to say this as I am a fan of the controversial triple-jumper but Phillips Idowu has done himself absolutely no favours with his recent behaviour and performance at this Olympics. One of the stars of Team GB in the build up to London 2012, I blogged earlier in the tournament about how winning gold might be too much to ask of the Hackney man. That proved to be more than true as Idowu slumped so low that he didn't even make it out of Tuesday's qualifying heat and was absent from Thursday's final. The 33-year-old effectively exiled himself from the rest of Team GB by refusing to travel to the athletics training camp in Portugal to receive personal treatment in London. Two months of missed competition didn't help but the fact that he claimed he wasn't injured for much of that time alienated himself from a lot of people, as he quite clearly was. At his age, it would be easy to throw in the towel but Idowu has stated he intends to continue. He sure has a lot to do if he wants to win over the British public again, and making it to Rio 2016 as a 37-year-old seems unlikely. It is a difficult time for the Beijing silver medallist and it remains to be seen whether he can recapture his form.

THE SUPERHEROES

They aren't hard to find. Outside of Team GB, Usain Bolt continues to go from strength to strength with another two golds and will be hoping to complete his second three-gold haul of his Olympics career in Saturdays 4x100m relay. Amongst the Brits there are plenty but Jessica Ennis stands out for her utter domination of one of the hardest sports. The heptathlon consists of seven disciplines and for to Ennis to win by such a margin (306 points, the gap between second and third was just 21 points) was truly inspirational. The diminutive athlete from Sheffield will be over the moon with her performance and rightfully so. Mo Farah is another man writing his name into the history books. To take gold in the 10,000m event which is usually dominated by Ethiopians and Kenyans is no mean feat, and at the age of 29 Farah has certainly served his time to earn his medal. The Somali-born Londoner is now contemplating a step up to the marathon, but will be competing in the final of tomorrow's 5000m event first. Elsewhere Alistair Brownlee put in a monumental performance in the triathlon and Nicola Adams won a gold medal in women's boxing, the first time the discipline has appeared in the Olympics. Andy Murray and Ben Ainslie both deserve praise for their incredible triumphs and the afore-mentioned Sir Chris Hoy does too. As does pretty much the entire track cycling squad, and it is particularly sad to see Victoria Pendleton retiring from the sport. When everything to do with London 2012 has been said and done, one thing will be certain. It was a time to be truly proud of Great Britain.

Ennis was the poster girl for London 2012 and didn't fail to deliver

 James is now off to celebrate his 22nd birthday! But fear not, The Search for Excellence will return tomorrow yet again, with a second guest post from another fantastic writer. And don't forget to follow James on Twitter @TSFE2012