London 2012 provided the world an opportunity to step away from the toils of everyday life and enjoy a little bit of international competition. We waved goodbye to Michael Phelps, Misty May and Kerri Walsh; and welcomed Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky to the scene. Regardless of the fact that we got caught up in the scandalous play of traditional powerhouse, China, badminton became relevant in America. Oscar Pistorius embodied what it means to be an Olympian. Although he did not make the medal stand, his strong will and determination had a greater impact on the games than gold, silver or bronze.
That being said, here are my top 10 moments from the 30th Olympiad.
An epic final point gave the Bryan Bros. the perfect ending to their 2012 Olympics. By adding a gold medal to their collection, the Bros. have completed the career Golden Slam. To make things even sweeter they defeated Frenchies Jo-Wilfried and Michael Llodra to take the gold.
To say Serena is in the zone is an understatement. Lately she has been on fire. She has dominated the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon, winning both the singles and doubles titles partnered with her sister, Venus. A few weeks later she came back to London and won double gold. It has truly been a great summer for Serena.
8. Gabby Douglas Shines
Jordyn Wieber vs Gabby Douglas. That was the match up gymnastics fans expected to see in London. However, following the individual all-around qualification it was just Douglas who qualified along with teammate Aly Raisman leaving Wieber on the outside looking in. With her biggest competitor out of the way, Douglas wasted no time in pursuing her goal. She captured our hearts becoming the first African American woman to win the all-around gold. She later went on to help Team USA and the Fab 5 grab gold in the team competition.
Franklin became the new face of USA Swimming by taking home 4 golds and 1 bronze as well as breaking World and Olympic records. At just 17, Franklin has an opportunity to excel in at least 2 more Summer Olympics. If she continues to improve her medal count could rival the great Michael Phelps, but for now she has to finish high school.
Beach volleyball has arguably become one of the quickest growing Olympic sports. The increased popularity of the sport is due largely to the combination of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings. The dynamic duo have never lost a match in Olympic competition and have dropped just one set. Their dominance in the sport has been golden, winning gold in the past 3 Olympics. Although they will no longer be playing together, their legacy has been left in the sand as the most dominant pair in history.
It truly was a 'Super Saturday' for the UK pulling in 6 gold medals on the day. 2 golds in rowing and 1 in cycling led the day off for the hometown team. The excitement only grew at Olympic Stadium where Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Greg Rutherford brought home golds in the 10,000m, decathlon and long jump respectively. To top things off, the following day Andy Murray finally broke through at Wimbledon defeating Roger Federer to grab gold. London's golden moment has been called the greatest day in British sports in the last 100 years.
Pistorious was arguably the most memorable athlete of the 2012 games and he didn't even win a race. The double amputee made his mark on these games by competing with able bodied athletes. His running blades were part of pre-Olympic controversy, but after winning his appeal, London 2012 became a reality. Pistorious may not have finished first, but he definitely took home a gold medal for his courage and perseverance displayed in London.
Down 3-2 vs Canada in the semifinal match I had my doubts about the USA's ability to find a way into the gold medal match. Following a swing of good luck (and a few questionable calls) the ladies were carried into the finals by a beautiful header by Alex Morgan (both the goal and Morgan are beautiful). The gold medal match vs Japan had all the makings of a thriller. With the help of 2 goals from Carli Lloyd and clutch saves by Hope Solo the USA avenged their World Cup loss and secured a 3rd consecutive gold medal.
Words cannot describe the dominance Bolt lays down on the track. Completing the trifecta for a second straight Olympics vaults Bolt towards the top of the all time great Olympians. Can he repeat in Rio? Who knows, but if he does it can be argued that he is the greatest Olympian ever. Only time will tell.
18 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze, 1 Phelps. Entering the 2012 Olympics Ryan Lochte was the man to beat. Exiting the London Games Lochte was just another man. Phelps reigns supreme and always has. Following his loss in the 400 IM people thought that Phelps was finished. Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines declared Lochte King of the Pool after just one race against Phelps... Then Michael woke up. He shut up Hicks and Gaines, set the all time medal count record, and made Lochte (and his mom) the jokers of London. At 22 total medals, Phelps has more medals than 82 countries! Step aside boys, it is Phelps time to swim off into the sunset as the greatest Olympian ever.
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