Olympic Quotes - Chris Brasher

"There is something in the Olympics, indefinable, springing from the soul, that must be preserved." 

Chris Brasher

Olympic Legends - Lasse Viren

Lasse Viren was expected to perform well in the 10,000 metre competition at the 1972 Olympics in Municch. As expected he qualified for the finals. Unfortunately as happens occasionally in competition he found himself sprawled on the track when he was the victim of contact in the finals. However he got up, and not only won the gold in the race, but also set a world record in doing so. 

Subsequently, in the same Games, he won the 5,000 metres, during whihc Viren also set the world's record.

Four years later in the 1976 Monetrea; Olympics provided one of the greatest series of performances by a distance runner in a single Olympics. 

Viren defended not one but both of his gold medals and also chose to run his first marathon ever - and finished fifth. 

Lasse Viren chose to utilise the varied methods and philosophies of many others to develop his training regimen. From the famed Arthur Lydiard, who was Peter Snell's coach, Viren took the concept of high mileage and long aerobic runs, sometimes putting in 150 miles per week. 

From Hungarian coach Mihaly Ingloi, Viren chose to utilise wind sprints, alternating 50 metres of hard running with 50 metres of easy for 2 or 3 miles on the track. 

Then from distance great Paavo Nurmi, Viren elected to perform continuous runs at a steady pace. 

Using American coach Bill Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine's coach and one of the originators of Nike, Viren then selected the option of the hard\easy approach to training by following his incredibly hard workout days with two or three days of easy runs in the forests of Finland. 

Just as Lasse Viren chose to learn variety of training methods from the great runners and coaches who had preceded him, every runner since seeking improvements learned the the need to mix a variety of workouts into training in order to develop all facets of performance. 

Lasse Virén ended his career after the 1980 Summer Olympics, where he placed fifth in the 10,000 meters. Virén qualified for that final, placing fourth and having clocked a disappointing 28:45 in his heat. Only after Ireland's John Treacy collapsed during his heat, due to heat stroke, was Virén given an automatic place in the final. Otherwise, he would have qualified for the final as a fastest loser.

Viren skipped the 5,000-metre race and chose to compete in the Olympic marathon, where he started quite well, but had to drop out before 30 kilometres.

In the autumn of 1980, he announced his retirement from active competitive running.

Viren began his running career in the United States at Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah and ran on the Varsity Cross-Country team for BYU for one season, before returning home to his native Finland. 

A police officer from Myrskylä, Virén debuted on the international scene in 1971, alebit his performances at the 1971 European Championships in Helsinki were overshadowed by fellow Finn Juha Väätäinen - who captured gold medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000 metre. Virén was 7th and 17th respectively. 

According to Viren's coach, Rolf Haikkola, he could have placed better in the 1971 European Athletics Championships, if he had done the "emptying exercise" of his system earlier - according to Haikkola. 

The "emptying exercise" of top runners means that they push their bodies to a total exhaustion or lack of energy so that their bodies can again receive much energy, and so that they can repeat their top race performances. Shortly after those European Championships, he broke Väätäinen's fresh Finnish record at 5,000 metres.

Buoyed by a brutal training regimen in Thomson's Falls, Kenya, and very impressive results, which included the smashing of the 2-mile world record and wins against Great Britain and Spain in a meet held in Helsinki in the summer of 1972, Lasse Virén entered the Munich Games.

Since his career ended he becaome a well-known figure in Finland, eventually holding a seat in the Finnish Parliament with the National Coalition Party from 1999 until 2007 and from 2010 to 2011. 

Virén did not seek re-election in 2011.

Olympic Medals

Munich 1972 10,000 m Gold

Munich 1972 5,000 m Gold

Montreal 1976 10,000 m Gold

Montreal 1976 5,000 m Gold

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I Am Clean - Usain Bolt

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Usain Bolt says the recent doping scandals in sprinting have set the sport back but insisted he is not a cheat.Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson are among a number of athletes to fail recent tests ahead of the world championships next month.

Bolt admitted "it's going to set us back a bit," adding that he hopes to "help people forget what has happened" with his own performances but stressed: "I am clean."

The Jamaican said he has had one text-message exchange with compatriot Powell since the former 100-meter world record-holder tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrone. Bolt told him "to stay strong."

Bolt said: "There are a lot of details yet to be discussed so I'm just sitting and waiting to see the results and what's what. There are a lot of things that haven't been done and haven't been said so I'm just waiting to see what is going on."

However, the 26-year-old 100m and 200m world record holder admitted athletes have to be very careful with everything they eat or drink. "In life you learn anything is possible," Bolt said. "You have to be very careful as an athlete because right now there are a lot of things on the banned list. You have to keep up to date all of the time. It's hard but that's why you have a team to help you out with this kind of thing."

Bolt was speaking in London where he competes on Friday for the first time since his three gold medals at the Olympics a year ago.

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London 2012 Under Budget

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The cost of the London Olympics and Paralympics will be £377m less than expected, according to the government.

The combined budget for the two events was £9.29bn, but the projected cost is £8.92bn.

Savings came from a drop in security, transport and construction expenses.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson said: "London 2012 was a tremendous success and it is a significant achievement to deliver this large and complex programme on time and under budget."

Another £103m from a contingency fund was also left unspent, meaning a total of £480m still remains from the original budget.

The government said this money will cover "risks" linked to the revamping of the Olympic Park.

The figures are from the government's final quarterly economic report.

With some London 2012 contracts still to be wound up, ministers have described the underspend as a "prudent" estimate.

Robertson added: "The work of the construction and delivery teams, from the ODA [Olympic Delivery Authority] and Locog [London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games], has set a very high standard.

"I have no doubt that London 2012 has set a new benchmark for the management of Olympic and Paralympic Games in future."

The ODA is now transforming the apartments in the Olympic Village into thousands of new homes, removing partitions and fitting kitchens.

It is also returning temporary Games venues to their previous use and owners.

ODA chief executive Dennis Hone said: "We are delighted the venues and infrastructure that we were responsible for delivering proved to be such a big hit and provided an incredible stage and backdrop for the world's greatest sporting event."

The budget set in 2007 was almost four times the estimated cost at the time London bid in 2005.

It was revised upwards after taking into account previously overlooked costs such as VAT, increased security costs, and an expanded brief for the ODA to regenerate the lower Lea Valley area.

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Lord Coe Thanks Generous Spirt

The "spirit of generosity" demonstrated by British people during the London 2012 Olympics has been hailed by Games chief Lord Coe.

The public mood was his highlight of the Games, which ended with a musical closing ceremony and the handover to the next host city, Rio de Janeiro.

He said the Paralympics, first held in the UK in 1948, were "coming home".

Meanwhile, Lord Moynihan has announced that he is to step down as chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA).

Having helped to steer Team GB to 29 golds and third place in the medal table at the London 2012 Olympics, he wrote to the BOA executive board and the National Olympic Committee to confirm his decision.

He plans to remain as chairman until an election is held in November to find his successor.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference, the chairman of Games organisers Locog Lord Coe looked forward to the Paralympics, which will start on 29 August.

He predicted that people would be "amazed" by the "quality of sport that they see" there.

"This is going to be an extraordinary moment for us," he added, saying his team was focusing on the transition process of moving from the Olympics to the Paralympics.

Lord Coe drew particular attention to those he felt were responsible for the successful running of the Olympic Games.

He thanked the athletes for creating "moments of heroism and heartbreak", the spectators for their "spirit of generosity" and the volunteers for being the "best ever".

"Our volunteers have been sensational. They've had boundless enthusiasm, goodwill, humour - they've done it with grace. And they have in large part been the face of these Games," he said.

It comes after the London 2012 Olympics ended with a spectacular musical closing ceremony and the official handover to the next host city, Rio de Janeiro.

Figures from the BBC revealed that 26.3 million people in the UK watched the closing ceremony, compared with 27.3 million people who watched the opening ceremony on 27 July.

The corporation said the Olympics had become the biggest national TV event since the current measurement system began in 2002, with 90% of the population (51.9 million) watching for least 15 minutes.

The most watched athletic event was Usain Bolt's victory in the 100m final, with 20 million people tuning in on 5 August.

Dope Test Ends Ostapchuk Gold

Belarusian women's shot put gold medallist Nadzeya Ostapchuk has been stripped of her title after failing a doping test, the International Olympic Committee has announced.

Ostapchuk, 31, threw 21.36m with her third attempt to win in the Olympic Stadium last week.

But Ostapchuk has now been disqualified after officials said metenolone was found in a urine sample she provided.

New Zealand's Valerie Adams, who was second, has now been awarded gold.

An IOC statement said:"The athlete was first requested to provide a urine sample for a doping control on 5 August.

"She competed the next day in the women's shot put event, where she placed first, and was asked to provide a sample straight after her competition.

"Both samples indicated the presence of metenolone, which is classified as anabolic agent under the 2012 prohibited list."

Ostapchuk won gold at the 2010 European Championships, but was second to Adams at the 2011 World Championships.

London 2012 saw the biggest anti-doping operation in the history of the Olympic Games.

Before the start of the Olympics, those competing were warned that 150 scientists were set to take 6,000 samples between now and the end of the Paralympic Games.

Every competitor who won a medal at the Olympics was tested.

British discus thrower Brett Morse apologised to his Twitter followers after accusing Ostapchuk of doping last week.

Morse made the claim after he failed to qualify for the Olympics discus final and also tweeted: "I've had a bad day but it could be worse, I could look like Ostaptchuk [sic]."

Women's shot put final - revised result

Gold - Valerie Adams (New Zealand)

Silver - Evgeniia Kolodko (Russia)

Bronze - Lijiao Gong (China)

Kiprotich Adds to Akii-Bua's Ugandan Gold

Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda won the Olympic men's marathon in London, beating the Kenyan pairing of Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang.

Kiprotich led at the 37km mark, despite appearing to suffer discomfort in his leg minutes earlier, and went on to win Uganda's first medal at London 2012.

His time of two hours eight minutes 11 seconds was 26secs clear of Kirui with Kipsang was over a minute further back.

Britain's Lee Merrien finished 30th and team-mate Scott Overall was 61st.

Kipsang had taken up the running after Brazil's Franck de Almeida's early break and led at the halfway stage.

Kiprotich and Kirui caught him up to leave a three-way fight for the gold medal.

The Ugandan looked to be struggling with an injury to the back of his leg, but unexpectedly surged to the front and pulled away.

"It means a lot [to Uganda]," said Kiprotich. "Since 1972 we have never won a gold medal, so they are very happy."

Uganda's last Olympic champion was 400m hurdler John Akii-Bua, who won gold at Munich in 1972.

Photo of the Day - Bolt Does the Mobot

Gold medalist Mohamed Farah of Great Britain (L) and Usain Bolt of Jamaica pose on the podium on Day 15 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 11, 2012 in London, England.

(August 10, 2012 - Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe)

Norden Loses Triathlon Appeal and Medal

Swedish triathlete Lisa Norden will not receive an Olympic gold after losing an appeal against a photo-finish decision.

Switzerland's Nicola Spirig was ruled to have won gold following an unprecedented photo-finish on 4 August.

Sweden insisted it was not possible for officials to "distinguish precisely" the position of Spirig's torso.

But the Court of Arbitration for Sport said the result would stand because it was "a field-of-play decision" which cannot be reviewed.

Field-of-play decisions can only be looked at retrospectively if there was evidence of arbitrariness or bad faith, neither of which was found to be the case in deciding the result of the women's Olympic triathlon in London.

The Swedish Olympic Committee and Swedish Triathlon Federation asked for both athletes to be ranked as joint winners.

Both bodies appealed after the race but the International Triathlon Union rejected the appeal on Wednesday.

Judges ruled that Spirig's winning margin was less than 15cm, although an official photograph appeared to show Norden's head crossing the finish first.

But the International Triathlon Union insisted two cameras on the line showed the Swiss athlete's torso ahead of the Swede's.

It is the first time an Olympic triathlon has been decided on a photo-finish.

Photo of the Day - Golden Moments

Francena McCorory, Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards-Ross and DeeDee Trotter of the United States celebrate winning gold in the Women's 4 x 400m Relay Final on Day 15 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 11, 2012 in London, England.

(August 10, 2012 - Source: Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe)

Jamaica Bolt to New World Record

Usain Bolt and Jamaica set a new world record of 36.84 seconds in winning Olympic gold in the men's 4x100 metres relay.

The sprint superstar made it a hat-trick of Olympic titles for the second successive Games as he led his team-mates home before seemingly pay his own tribute to double Olympic champion Mo Farah by performing the 'Mobot' celebration as he crossed the line.

Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and then double silver medallist Yohan Blake gave Bolt the lead he scarcely needed to hold off the United States in second.

Canada thought they had claimed bronze but were disqualified after Jared Connaughton ran outside his lane on the third leg, leaving Trinidad and Tobago to finish third.

Treble treble?

Bolt was asked if he could do the 'treble-treble' by winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m again in four years' time, having achieved the feat first in Beijing and now in London.

He is not convinced it is possible.

Bolt said on BBC1: "I've thought about it but I think it's going to be very hard because Yohan, he's just come into the game and he's running pretty well, and I'm sure there's going to be a lot more cats coming up to run.

"I'm just happy. I'll take it a step at a time."

Asked whether he would run more often in Britain if tax laws change - a factor in him having stayed away in the past - Bolt said: "As soon as the law changes I'll be here all the time.

"I love being here, I have so many Jamaican fans here and it's wonderful."

John Joe Second to Cool Hand Luke

Luke Campbell realised his lifetime dream as he floored Ireland's John Joe Nevin on his way to a 14-11 victory and the Olympic bantamweight title at ExCeL.

Campbell landed a superb left hand counter in the final round to floor his opponent, who had beaten him in 2009 before the Hull man gained revenge with a close win in last year's World Championship semi-finals.

Campbell had received the loudest cheers on the way to the ring, but there was still a sizeable Irish contingent who were buoyed by a bright start by Nevin, who surprised his old rival by beginning on the front foot.

Nevin's tactics seemed to play into the hands of Campbell to an extent, and the Yorkshireman landed with a slick combination, and although Nevin also landed it was Campbell's sharper shots that gave him a deserved 5-3 first round lead.

Campbell was producing a textbook performance, blocking the majority of Nevin's best efforts and countering well, although the Mullingar man came on well towards the end of the round, landing a peach of an uppercut and a stretching right hand to narrow the deficit to a single point at 9-8.

Given what was at stake, it was no surprise the third round should turn into a cagey affair, Campbell landing the first two rights of note before decking Nevin with a superb stabbing left as the Irishman lunged in to throw a right hand.

Campbell's lightning counters were making the difference, and at the end of an intriguing bout there could be little doubt that the Hull man had done enough to achieve a dream he has had since he first laced on gloves.

Campbell was in tears as the verdict was announced and he accepted the congratulations of his cornermen, saying: "I'm very emotional right now. The plan was to stay calm and stick to the boxing and throw my punches down the middle."

USA Women Storm 4 x 400m Gold

USA won their fifth successive Olympic gold medal as their quartet eased to victory at London 2012.

The team of Deedee Trotter, Allyson Felix, Francena McCorory and Sanya Richards-Ross finished more than three seconds ahead of nearest rivals Russia who took silver.

Jamaica beat off the challenge of Ukraine to take bronze.

Britain, who included Perri Shakes-Drayton and Christine Ohuruogu in their line-up, finished fifth.

USA were the fastest team in qualifying, finishing a second a head of nearest rivals Russia, and they continued their good form.

Victory never looked in doubt after the first changeover and the remaining trio edged further clear of the rest of the field.

Richards-Ross, who won gold in the individual 400m, then carried the baton home, as they finished just 1.8 seconds outside the world and Olympic record.

The top six teams all ran a season's best time on the night.

Ireland's Heffernan Finishes Fourth

Rob Heffernan of Ireland finished fourth in the Men’s 50 kilometre walk at London 2012 on Saturday. The 34 year from Cork broke the Irish record by seven minutes and 36 seconds.

A relative novice at this distance – he finished ninth in the 20 kilometre race earlier in the Olympics – he made a decision after the Beijing Olympics to target the longer event at the London Games and came so close to winning a medal.

Heffernan finished one minute and 55 seconds behind the winner Russia’s Sergey Kirdyapkin but just 31 seconds adrift of China’s Tianfeng Si, who won the bronze medal. 

Australia’s Jared Tallent claimed the silver medal.

Heffernan paced himself brilliantly through the race to give himself every opportunity to claim a medal as he opushed on from 12th place after 30 kilometres, to eighth after 40 kilometres, fifth after 45 kilometres before eventually crossing the line in fifth place.

It eclipses the best ever performance by an Irish race walker in the Olympics, a mark held previously by Jimmy McDonald when the latter finished sixth in the 20 kilometre discipline at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. 

Ireland's Brendan Boyce came home in 29th place, two and a half minutes inside his personal best, but compatriot Colin Griffin was disqualified after being red-paddled on three occasions.

Marial the Stateless Marathon Man

Guor Marial will not be representing a country when he takes part in the men's Olympic marathon at 11:00 BST on Sunday because, in his own words, he is "representing the whole world".

The 28-year-old is running under the Olympic flag and will pound his way around the 26.2-mile course wearing the black and grey uniform of an independent Olympic athlete.

He is one of just four independent athletes chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to run at London 2012.

When Marial told the story of his selection at a media session this week he received a round of applause.

A decade ago, Marial fled a refugee camp in what is now South Sudan during the civil war that ravaged the region for more than 20 years and left more than four million nationals displaced.

Marial lost 28 relatives during the conflict and has not seen his family for almost two decades.

"Growing up in the war it was dangerous and hard," Marial explained. "It was about survival of the fittest. If you survived one day, OK, what's going to happen the next day? Growing up there, I did not know the outside world.

"When I left the village and [went] to the city and came to Cairo and the United States, the world kept opening and opening. There are other things, not just about killing each other.

"I feel fortunate to have that, to have that background. That's helped me with my running and my everyday life."

The budding athlete arrived in the US as a child but does not have US citizenship, putting him out of contention for their Olympic team.

And when he was offered a place at the Games under Sudan's flag, he turned it down.

In the end, the IOC decided to give him a place as an independent because South Sudan, which formally gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has not yet joined the Olympic movement.

Marial may not be running for South Sudan but it is to his remaining family there that his thoughts will turn when he takes his place on the Olympic marathon starting line.

"I just want to tell them I love them so much and I'm here for them," he said.

"The whole country will be with me here. [I hope to] bring awareness to the country and hope the young generation will see me and will be able to dream high for the years to come."

As for his chances in the competition, Marial has only run two marathons in his life but finished both of them inside the Olympic qualifying time of two hours, 15 minutes and has a personal best of 2:12:55.

"I'm going into the race open minded," said the Arizona-based athlete. "I will just go there and see what happens."

He may not be running for a nation but instead he embodies something much more important, the Olympic spirit - uniting people through sport and allowing athletes to compete to their best.

Olympic View - Herb Elliott

"It is the inspiration of the Olympic Games that drives people not only to compete but to improve, and to bring lasting spiritual and moral benefits to the athlete and inspiration to those lucky enough to witness the athletic dedication”.

Herb Elliott 

(Australian middle-distance Runner, world record holder in the 1500m (1958-67) and the mile race (1958-62)

Olympic View - Mary Lou Retton

"For athletes, the Olympics are the ultimate test of their worth."

Mary Lou Retton

Olympic View - Noureddine Morceli

"When I race my mind is full of doubts - who will finish second, who will finish third?"

Noureddine Morceli 

Defar Shocks Dibaba in 5,000m

Meseret Defar shocked Tirunesh Dibaba with a stunning last lap to reclaim the Olympic 5,000m title she last won in Athens in 2004.

Dibaba had looked on course to record a historic London double, having won the 10,000m last week.

But, after Dibaba had taken the lead with four laps to go, fellow Ethiopian Defar surged ahead on the final lap to win in 15 minutes 4.25 seconds.

Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot won silver while Dibaba came in third for bronze.

Great Britain's Jo Pavey finished seventh while Julia Bleasdale was one place behind in eighth.

Pavey and Bleasdale had the home crowd cheering with just five laps to go, with the British pair setting the pace.

However, they started to drop down the field as Dibaba made her move to the front.

As the bell rang for the final lap, Dibaba was still in front and looked firmly on course to replicate her 5,000/10,000m double in Beijing.

But her expected surge never came and she was outpaced on the final stretch first by Dibaba and then Cheruiyot.

For Bleasdale, this was her first Olympic Games and she feels confident she has proven herself capable of competing on this stage.

"I came to this Olympic Games saying I am not here for the tracksuit and I think I have shown I am capable of competing with the best in the world," said Bleasdale.

"The next stage is to show I can be one of the best in the world."