Has it actually been a decade since London hosted the 2012 Olympics?
Certainly, it has been precisely 10 years because the capital welcomed the world’s biggest athletes for 3 weeks’ value of thrilling sport and unimaginable leisure… and likewise that point Boris Johnson bought caught on a zip-wire.
It might be a record-breaking sport for the hosts, with 65 medals gained in complete, 29 of them gold, all leading to a superb third-place end within the medal desk for Workforce GB.
That summer season, so many athletes turned instantaneous nationwide heroes, whereas some bowed out of their respective sports activities in type.
has taken a have a look at 10 of the most important and greatest names from the London 2012 Olympics and what they’re to date…
London 2012 didn't get off to the very best of begins for the hosts, and it wasn’t till Day 5 of the video games that Nice Britain lastly claimed a gold medal courtesy of rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning.
Glover, a former trainer, and Stanning, a British Military officer, had solely picked up rowing a number of years previous to the Olympics, however turned historical past makers after they gained the Coxless Pair race.
They'd proceed to dominate the occasion over the subsequent few years, successful the World Championships collectively in 2014 and 2015, earlier than defending their Olympic title at Rio 2016.
The pair retired shortly after that, however Glover would return to the water 5 years later for the delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, ending fourth alongside Polly Swann, whereas Stanning is at the moment a Main with the Royal Artillery.
Sir Bradley Wiggins was the discuss of the city within the build-up to London 2012, as simply 5 days previous to the Opening Ceremony he turned the primary British bike owner to win the Tour de France.
Even earlier than 2012, he was already an icon on the monitor scene by advantage of three golds, one silver and two bronze medals at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, earlier than including a fourth in London by successful the Time Trial on the street.
Wiggins was given the honour of ringing the Olympic Bell to mark the beginning of the video games and later that 12 months was voted BBC Sports activities Character of the 12 months.
After a number of extra profitable years on the street, Wiggins returned to trace biking forward of Rio, the place he gained his fifth gold medal within the Workforce Pursuit, breaking two world data within the course of, earlier than asserting his retirement on the finish of 2016.
Profitable gold on the Double Entice, Peter Wilson turned an in a single day hero for Workforce GB thanks partly to his emotional and jubilant celebrations along with his dad.
Wilson’s rise to the highest of taking pictures was made much more outstanding by the truth that all his coaching was self-supported after UK Sport reduce his funding following Athens and Beijing, the place Nice Britain did not win a single taking pictures medal.
Simply over two years later, Wilson introduced his retirement from the game to concentrate on his household, ending his brief however very candy profession.
Observe biking was Nice Britain’s strongest sport at London 2012 and whereas Victoria Pendleton, Ed Clancy, Jason and Laura Kenny all deserve a shout-out, these video games had been all about whether or not Sir Chris Hoy might develop into the nation’s most profitable Olympian.
He did – successful two golds to take his tally to 6, surpassing Sir Steve Redgrave’s report – though it didn’t final too lengthy as Jason Kenny overtook his former teammate in Tokyo.
However, Hoy’s affect on the game was large, and London supplied the proper swansong for his profession, with the Scotsman retiring lower than a 12 months after main Workforce GB out on the opening ceremony.
He then turned to a special form of monitor, collaborating in numerous completely different motorsport occasions together with the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The poster-athlete for London 2012, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill was out for revenge after a late-injury noticed her miss Beijing 4 12 months prior.
In fact, her gold medal by no means appeared doubtful as she dominated the Heptathlon and set such a formidable time within the 100m hurdles stage that she might properly have completed on the rostrum for the principle occasion had she taken half.
An icon for British sport, Ennis-Hill would go onto safe a 3rd World Championship victory in 2015, however narrowly missed out on back-to-back gold medals in Rio.
After retiring in 2016, she has develop into a pundit for the BBC and within the final couple of years launched Jennis, a health app specialising in ladies’s well being.
Greg Rutherford
In contrast to the opposite gold medallists of ‘Tremendous Saturday’, Greg Rutherford was not a reputation many had heard of, however that each one modified in a short time.
Rutherford cruised to gold within the Lengthy Leap, earlier than going onto develop into World, European and Commonwealth champion, though he might solely declare the bronze in Rio.
Sadly for him, a recurring ankle harm pressured his retirement from Athletics in 2018 however that didn’t cease him from pursuing his dream of competing on the Winter Olympics.
He joined Workforce GB’s bobsleigh set-up in 2021, however sadly, he and his crew did not qualify for Beijing 2022.
Mo Farah
The sixth and last champion of ‘Tremendous Saturday’, Sir Mo Farah capped off maybe the best ever day of British sport with victory within the 10,000m.
One other gold within the 5,000m noticed him develop into a nationwide treasure, with everybody up and down the nation performing his signature celebration, the ‘Mobot’.
With 4 Olympic medals and 6 World titles, he's essentially the most profitable male monitor distance runner ever, and essentially the most profitable British monitor athlete in trendy Olympic Video games historical past, to not point out his a number of gold medals at Marathon working.
Simply this July, Farah opened up about his childhood in a robust new documentary, revealing that he was trafficked to the UK aged 9 and that his birthname was really Hussein Abdi Kahin.
Like Hoy, London 2012 was to be Sir Ben Ainslie’s final Olympics, and gold within the Finn occasion ensured that he would develop into essentially the most profitable sailor within the video games’ historical past.
It was his fourth consecutive gold, and fifth medal total, and slightly fittingly he was chosen to be the primary individual to hold the Olympic torch within the UK and carried Workforce GB’s flag on the closing ceremony.
Since then, he has labored as a tactician for a number of groups, most notably guiding Workforce USA to a outstanding victory over New Zealand in 2013 America’s Cup.
At this time, he's Workforce Principal, CEO and Skipper of INEOS Britannia and CEO and Driver of the Nice Britain SailGP Workforce.
Whereas Olympic gold will not be essentially the most prestigious prize in Tennis, the height years of Sir Andy Murray’s profession started in London 2012.
Simply weeks after shedding the Wimbledon last to Roger Federer, Murray defeated the Swiss legend in SW19 earlier than taking silver within the combined doubles alongside Laura Robson.
Later that 12 months, he gained his first grand slam on the US Open, earlier than successful Wimbledon correct in 2013, the Davis Cup in 2015 and a Wimbledon/Olympic double in 2016.
Effectively documented accidents have hampered the Scotsman since, and after his Wimbledon exit this July, he admitted his time on the court docket is coming to an finish.
Certainly one of three boxers to win Gold at London 2012 alongside Luke Campbell and Anthony Joshua, Nicola Adams made historical past as the primary feminine boxer to develop into an Olympic champion, and she or he retained her crown 4 years later in Rio.
She would additionally develop into World, European and Commonwealth champion, all within the flyweight class, earlier than turning skilled in 2017, claiming the WBO championship belt two years later.
Sadly, a watch harm pressured her into retirement simply months after that, however Adams stays one of the standard and influential athletes within the UK.
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