Logan Studies UK Sports: Part 3/5 of Olympic Events: Track & Field

August 4th, 2012

10:30 a.m.

I wake up. First thing I do is check the tickets website for Athletics tickets. I'm surprised to find that some tickets had just been released. I select one. Enter the codes. No tickets available. I don't give up. Keep refreshing the page. 20 times. Time 21 comes along. Your reserved ticket.

I was going to see Athletics tonight in Olympic Stadium.

I looked outside my window to see where I was going to be in approximately 6 hours and saw this.

2:00 p.m.

I grab a burrito at the place nearby my student housing with a friend, pack up my stuff, and hop on the tube towards Olympic Park.

3:30 p.m.

I arrive at Olympic Park and it's packed. Trying to move forward in a straight line is impossible. But with the help of the thousands of volunteers I make my way towards the entrance to the park.

The swarms of people...

The entrance to the park!

4:00 p.m.

Because I bought my ticket earlier that day, I still needed to pick it up from the box office. Now, originally the box office used to be a nightmare because people picking up tickets tried to buy new tickets as well, which caused lines to be over 3 hours long. Fortunately they disallowed the purchasing of tickets. So, the line only lasted around 30 minutes. I made some friends with those close to me and the time passed quickly.

The line to pick up tickets

4:30 p.m.

I exited the line for tickets and then joined the next line for security. Now as comforting as the intense security may be, I wanted to get into the park. But after around 20 minutes of airport-like security I was inside the park once again. I tied on my American flag to my back like a cape and started my trek to find some food, an Olympic program, and a drink to bide my time until I could enter the stadium around 6:00 p.m.

4:50 p.m.

I started wandering around Olympic Park to find myself around the nature trail by the stadium. Naturally, I started walking down it towards the World Center (the place with the food). As you can see, the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, or LOCOG, went to great lengths to make this park beautiful but also functional.

The view of the nature trail from the main concorse.

The view of the stadium from the trail.

Exiting the trail I walked towards the food area and grabbed an "Italian" pizza. You could feel the excitement in the air for tonight's events on the track!

The massive lines for the food

Pizza?

5:15 p.m.

After receiving my food, I walked towards the trail and found a secluded spot with a seating area and only a few people...which was a rare find. The spot was right by the moat and looked out at the Olympic Stadium and Orbit.

The moat

The moat security patrol boat.
Everything in the Olympic Stadium is under tight wraps.

I lounged around the area by the Stadium until the gates opened around an hour before the games started.

6:00 p.m.

Before entering the stadium I grabbed an official program and then passed through another level of security. Although I was inside the stadium before for the opening ceremonies rehearsal, this was completely different. Filled with fans of all races, religions, and regions of the worlds I was in for a treat.

I made it! In the Stadium!

6:30 p.m.

I made friends with the British people around me as we all prepared for a full night of track and field events. Over the course of the night I saw some of the most emotional, inspring moments of my life that rivaled the Opening Ceremonies rehearsal experience. And if you read my post about the rehearsal, you understand that this night of sports and culture was absolutely incredible. Because there are so many things to talk about from this night I will just highlight my favorite experiences with some of the best of my 170 pictures from the 3 hour event.

1. Jessica Ennis Winning Gold

It was known before the last race in the Heptathalon that Jess Ennis, a British women, would win gold. However, in the last race, the 800m, she ran her heart out and finished first with a come-from-behind last 100m push. The 80,000 person crowd was going absolutely nuts as she became the poster-child for British athletes in the 2012 Olympics. As she collapsed onto the ground after she won, the roar never stopped and at times was defying.

2. The Long Jump Competition

My seats lay on the second level overlooking the Long Jump pit where in the end, a British man won gold, and an American won second. Every time an athlete came up to jump, a slow clap started from the 80,000 spectator arena, but when any British athlete came up, a cheer ran him down the lane to the sand pit. With the long jump falling behind some of the more popular events like the 100m, I was as intrigued as ever to find how interested the crowd became in the event once their athletes were performing well.

3. Women's Discus Final
Although this wasn't my favorite event to watch, as enormous women launched discs over 50m (150 feet), it was the victory lap that the 3 winners had after the competition was over. Although no british athletes competed, the three winners were given a standing ovation as they walked the 400 meters of the track holding their flags above their head, screaming with joy.

4. Mo Farrah winning Gold in the 10,000 meter
Once again, this was not an American athlete winning gold, but a British athlete. For 25 laps, the crowd roared along with Mo as he circled continuously around the track. This race took over 25 minutes and never once did the croad slow its cheers. I was so mesmerized by Mo and this race that I forgot to watch the American come from behind and finish in second. And later I found out that Mo and the American, Rupp, trained together in Oregon. When Mo won his race, the crowd went ballistic. Every British person around me was crying tears of joy. Never in the history of British athletics had they won three gold medals in one night of athletics. I was watching history.

5. The Women's 100 meter race
Although the American, Carmelita Jeter, won second, the immense speed of these women was simply incredible. With the crowd, for the first time of the night, silent right before the race....once the gun went off, the thunder of the crowd rose again.

Overall, the night was a spectacle in itself. The countries competing and the athletic prowess that I was treated to was something I will never forget in my life. Below are some of the pictures from the night, but nothing will be able to tell the story of that night quite like experiencing it in person.