London 2012 Olympics souvenir supplement
2 1 0 2 n o d n Lo Games
s u o i r o l g A happy and
INSIDE Full analysis of the Olympics Games 2012
PAGE 28
PAGE 27
PAGE 35
Team GB’s golden Games
Super Saturday revisited
Africa’s Olympians shine in London
26 | AUGUST 23-29, 2012
Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement
Simply The Best
Voice sports editor, Rodney Hinds, gives his verdict on arguably the greatest Olympic Games of all time
T
HE LONDON 2012 Olympic Games will live long in the memory. It will be remembered for a spectacular opening ceremony, Super Saturday - when Team GB grabbed a trio of gold in 60 glorious minutes - and the crowning of the finest sprinter to grace the planet, Usain Bolt. Add the fact that Team GB’s cyclists, rowers and swimmers and track and field athletes ensured third place in the medal table, with an unexpected 65 medals, 29 of which were gold, and it was almost the perfect Games in many ways.
ANNIVERSARY For this correspondent, Super Saturday was the highlight, as heptathlete Jessica Ennis, long jumper Greg Rutherford and mighty Mo Farah all powered to gold medals on a night to remember. Twenty-four hours later and the greatest sprinter of all time, Bolt, confirmed his status with
another 100m masterclass to get Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence under way in grand style. The main man of track and field then underpinned his burgeoning credentials by claiming 200m and 4x100m relay gold, bringing home his nation’s baton in record-breaking time. On occasion while seated in the Olympic Stadium, I thought that the greatest show on Earth had been transported to Kingston, such was the influence of Jamaican athletes and their equally charismatic fans. The Caribbean as a region can take great pride in the Games. Athletes from the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada gave their followers around the globe a chance to puff out their chests. Magic moment for me? There were several but Farah, a genuinely likeable man, has to take the plaudits. While Bolt was expected to deliver, no one – apart from mighty Mo
“The noise generated in the Olympic stadium would have registered on the Richter Scale ” himself and his lovely familyexpected the long distance king to come up trumps in two gruelling events. I’ll be very surprised if he does not take the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year gong too such was his efforts. The noise generated in the Olympic Stadium would have registered on the Richter Scale. It was enough to inspire tired athletes, like Farah, when they had very little in the tank. The crowd’s participation was a contributing factor towards
IN POSITION: Rodney Hinds Team GB’s happy and glorious Games throughout the sporting festival. There has been much talk of legacy after the Games. True legacy will only come if youngsters, especially, get the chance to use the first class facilities that 2012 has provided.
SUPPORT The London 2012 motto has been ‘inspire a generation.’ The performance of Team GB and others have certainly done that. Thousands made up the
Games experience; volunteers, police, the armed forces and they all did their glorious bit and not always in the public eye. To all those that campaigned for The Voice to gain accreditation to the Olympic Stadium for the track and field segment of the Games, I say thank you. Without the powerful and influential show of support yours truly would have been consigned to watching all the great action via TV. Accreditation should be easier for 2016 in Brazil. I won’t be sports editor then but if the
show of support makes life easier for my successor, then the collective will would have succeeded. As for me, I’m looking to help the sports media within our community gain more respect, and press seats, at major events. London 2012 has been a success. Not all concerned will be happy, and LOCOG can’t tick all the boxes. But when all is said and done, the London Olympic Games has to rank among the very best.
y or gl 12 20 on nd Lo in g in sk ba am gh in rm Bi By Poppy Brady POST OLYMPICS there is talk of people suffering withdrawal symptoms now the greatest show on Earth has finally come to a close, but Birmingham is continuing to bask in the glory of being the host city for Jamaica’s Olympic training camp. The fact that it was praised twice by Jamaican sprint stars Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake minutes after they won both the 200m and the 4x100m relay in front of a TV audience of over 20 million has kept the city on a high. Birmingham City Council leader Sir Albert Bore called it ‘a wonderful few weeks in the city’s history.’ He said: “Everyone in Birmingham was touched by the tributes paid to the city by Usain Bolt and his colleagues in
“The success of the athletes has given Jamaica great hope for the future ”
Beverly Lindsay the Jamaican track and field team. “We’re delighted that Birmingham has such a rich African Caribbean community which has made a significant contribution to the city’s civic, cultural, economic and sporting life. “But much more needs to be done, and at the heart of the council’s work is a recognition that many communities, including part of the African Car-
Garry Peal ibbean community, still have to share more fully in economic and civic life.”
Beverly Lindsay, who chairs the Association of Jamaican Nationals (Birmingham) UK, and who organised a civic flag raising ceremony to mark Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence on August 6, said: “No one has ever before seen so many smiling, happy faces from the Carib-
Sir Albert Bore bean community uniting in Birmingham. “Events over the past few weeks have generated peace and harmony and a great respect for Jamaica. I just give God thanks that I was able to witness such landmark events here in Birmingham.”
Garry Peal, Birmingham’s Olympic training camp coordinator, said: “It’s been an unforgettable few weeks. To
Joan ‘LJ’ Hunter have Birmingham praised by the athletes on live TV watched by 22 million people was more than we could ever have wished for.”
Joan ‘LJ’ Hunter of New Style radio, said: “The success of Jamaica in the Square event celebrating Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence, sealed by the success of the athletes has given Jamaica great hope for the future.”
Zena Wooldridge
Zena Wooldridge, the University of Birmingham’s director of sport, added: “The athletes’ stay at the university went better than we could ever have hoped for. It turned out to be a fabulous 12 days, with an even more magical 16 days at the Olympics. “We feel a strong bond has been secured between Birmingham and Jamaica – and its people were wonderful to work with.”
Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement
AUGUST 23-29, 2012 | 27
! k c a B s e k i r t S e r The Empi
Team GB make it happy and glorious in the Olympic Stadium By Rodney Hinds and Ben Lettman
T
HE MOST stunning hour in the history of British athletics took place on the night of August 4. A trio of Team GB stars took stunning advantage of home support. The hosts had one of their best Games in terms of their final medal tally and their success has been borne out of first class and vociferous crowd support in the Olympic Stadium. On what has been forever dubbed ‘Super Saturday,’ Sheffield heptathlete Ennis was crowned Olympic champion after completing the two-day competition in a new national record points tally of 6,955. After winning heat four of the 800m – the final discipline - in a time of two minutes, 8.65 seconds, an emotional Ennis collapsed to the ground in tears as she received a rapturous reception from the London crowd. The 26-year-old achieved personal bests in the 200m, javelin and a national record of 12.54 seconds in the 100m hurdles to deservedly claim gold. Ennis is now one of British athletics’ most illustrious competitors of all-time having previously won European indoor and outdoor crowns plus world indoor and outdoor titles.
WINNING TRIO: (l to r) Farah, Ennis and Rutherford
The sandwich between Ennis’ and Mo Farah’s triumphs was Greg Rutherford who secured Great Britain’s 13th gold medal of the London 2012 Olympics by winning the long jump. Rutherford’s fourth round leap of 8.31m was enough to take victory on a glorious night for Team GB. The icing on the cake belonged to long distance ace Farah who took 10,000m gold in the highly-charged Olympic Stadium. The Somalia-born Team GB star won with a devastating last lap to kill off the spirit of his rivals. Farah beat American and training partner Galen Rupp (silver) and Tariku Bekele (bronze) to the big prize. Farah, the European titleholder over 5,000m, showed tenacity and guts to claim
the glory in front of a partisan home crowd to record a time of 27:30.42. No one will begrudge the Briton his moment of glory. In early 2011 he announced that he would leave long-time coach Alan Storey and relocate to Oregon in the United States to work with coach Alberto Salazar. The trio of home wins in front of a knowledgeable 80,000 audience will live long in the memory of those that were present. The triumvirate have all paid homage to the cracking atmosphere generated inside one of the finest sporting arenas in the world. In years to come the question will be; ‘were you there there when Team GB claimed three gold medals inside an hour?’ The Voice of Sport will be able to say ‘yes!’
TENACITY: Farah
still needs Bolt but the ‘Lightning’ Bolt Athletics sprint king does not need athletics could quit now as a legend By Ben Lettman
MEDAL HAUL: Bolt
WITH SIX Olympic sprinting gold medals around his neck, what more is there for Usain Bolt to achieve in track and field? The Jamaican already holds the world records for the men’s 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay and has captured five world championship titles. Still only 26, Bolt previously stated that retaining his sprint titles at London 2012 would secure his legacy as an athletics legend and having completed this task, it seems unlikely that Bolt will be at the top of his game at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. Bolt trains incredibly hard but having enhanced his celebrity status due to his success at the Games means
that he does not need athletics anymore to financially secure his future. London 2012 perhaps marked the last time that Bolt will race at an Olympics as well as compete in our nation’s capital. British tax laws mean that Bolt would barely make a profit if he took to the starting blocks in the UK and 2009 was the last time he competed in England. Rather than attempting to add to his already significant medal haul it could be a scenario where Bolt may attempt a different distance or event altogether. In 2007, Bolt set a personal best of 45.28 seconds in the 400m, a distance he occasionally ran as a junior and the Trelawny native has expressed his desire to possibly compete in the long jump too. And with younger Jamaican
sprinters Yohan Blake and Warren Weir snapping at his heels, changing career paths might be a good idea before his mantle of the fastest man on the planet is taken from him. It would be a massive disappointment however if Bolt did decide to hang up his spikes altogether. He puts bums on seats. He wins in emphatic fashion. But, more importantly, Bolt is an entertainer who has that ‘it’ factor and athletics needs ‘the big man’, as BBC pundit Colin Jackson frequently called him during the Olympics. Before Bolt burst on to the scene in 2008 athletics went through a torrid period where it was hard to trust the winners of races, as doping was rife in the sport. Even if an elite athlete was clean, in most cases these
champions were very passive and uninteresting. But Bolt brings an aura of excitement to athletics. It is not a stretch to stay that he revitalised track and field with his dominant displays that are laced with charisma. Personally speaking as an athletics enthusiast, it would be great to see Bolt compete in the 400m and attempt to break Michael Johnson’s 12-year-old world record and only compete in the one-lap in Rio. But due to the physical demands of the 400m, this seems highly unlikely. While Bolt’s future in athletics remains unclear, two things remains certain – track and field will be a duller place without him and he will forever be remembered as an all-time great, even if he does not grace the track in Rio.
28 | AUGUST 23-29, 2012
Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement
London 2012: Success for the Caribbean
QUALITY QUARTET: Bahamas
ALL SMILES: Walcott
cord of 9.63. The rivalry continued into the 200m with Bolt aiming to become the first athlete in history to defend backto-back Olympic titles. In a race that featured new kid on the block Warren Weir, Jamaica took hysteria to new heights with a clean sweep of the medals. Jamaica cemented its reputation as a dominant force in world athletics with the men’s 4x100m relay. A dream team of Nester Carter, Michael Frater and Blake and Bolt outclassed the entire field and set a new world record of 36.84.
CELEBRATION
TEEN SPIRIT: Ramirez
Athletes from the region follow Jamaica’s lead By Cheyenne Bunsie
T
HEY MAY not have been top of the overall medal table but the London 2012 Olympic Games have certainly been a success for the Caribbean.
Not only have the islands managed to make their mark in the athletics, but the Olympics also signalled a branching out into other events, perhaps shaking up the odds in Rio 2016. The most anticipated spectacle of the Games was undoubtedly the men’s 100m
final, namely the rivalry between Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake. Amidst whispers of doubt as a result of rumoured injuries, the infamous false start in Daegu and two defeats to Blake in the Olympic trials, Bolt was able to silence critics with a new Olympic re-
The country’s women also showed up, with Shelley Ann Fraser-Pryce taking gold in the women’s 100m final and Veronica Campbell-Brown claiming bronze. Fraser-Pryce also managed silver in the 200m. The relay team took silver in the 4x100m and bronze in the 4x400m. Grenada crowned a new king with Kirani James taking gold in the men’s 400m, Dominican Republic’s Luguelin Santos took silver, and Trinidadian Lalonde James taking bronze. The twin islands also had
lic struck gold in the men’s 400m hurdles final with an emotional victory for 34-year old Felix Sanchez. Javier Culson of Puerto Rico took bronze. Looking ahead to Rio 2016 it appears the future is bright and not just in track. Cuba exhibited the most dominance outside of athletics with two gold, one courtesy of 18-year-old Robeisy Ramirez, and two bronze medals in the boxing, a gold and two silver in judo, a gold and bronze in wrestling, a weightlifting bronze and a shooting gold.
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“Looking ahead to Rio 2016 it appears the future is bright and not just in track”
more cause for celebration after two more bronze medals were collected in both the 4x400m relay and 4x100m relay, before 19-year-old Keshorn Walcott won a surprise gold medal in the javelin. The Bahamas also stormed to a glorious victory in the men’s 4x400m relay, beating the Americans into silver. The team consisting of Chris Brown, Demetrius Pinder, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller set a national record in winning the country’s only medal of the Games. The Dominican Repub-
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Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement
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Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement
AUGUST 23-29, 2012 | 35
Jamaica can take pride in foreign exports
Caribbean nations providing top class athletes for others By John Portch
T
HE GOLDEN exploits of Jessica Ennis and Sanya Richards-Ross highlighted Jamaica’s rich emigrant history ahead of the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence. Olympic heptathlon champion Ennis, whose father Vinny left Jamaica at 13-years-old, and the Kingston-born 400m Olympic champion RichardsRoss may compete under the British and American flags respectively but each has roots on the same small island as fellow Olympic champions Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann FraserPryce. The list of second-generation Jamaicans and expatriates who have won gold medals competing for other nations includes the likes of Linford Christie, Donovan Bailey and Fiona May. Ennis’ Canadian rival Jessica Zelinka joked that being in London was like “living in a Jessica Ennis theme park.” Her combination of beauty, modesty and talent long saw her labelled the face of the London Olympics. Yet the diminutive athlete never wilted under the patri-
otic pressure and she even posted a personal best 12.54 seconds in the 100m hurdles on day one of the heptathlon and fell only briefly into second place during two days worth of competition. Glorious images of the 800m victory that confirmed her gold cemented Ennis’ status as a national treasure. She clocked 6,955 points in London, the fifth highest total in heptathlon history.
RECLAIMING Later that night it was clear things had gone up a notch when she was smuggled out the back of Team GB House at the Olympic Village with her tracksuit pulled over her head. Britain’s other medallists departed through the front door It was a new experience for the 26-year-old, who has long been noted for her normality in the face of her growing fame. She lives in Sheffield with her fiancé, construction manager Andy Hill, whom she met at school. The couple are set to wed next year and were pictured walking their black Labrador Myla just days before the start of the Games. Ennis has been reported to be earning £1million per year for her various endorse-
“It is another remarkable chapter in the JamaicanAmerican’s career ” ments but the added lustre of Olympic gold will see that shoot up to £5million. However, she will be more concerned with using her victory as a starting point for reclaiming her world titles and smashing that 7,000-point barrier. She dominated her rivals, including defending Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska and Tatyana Chernova, who took Ennis’ outdoor world title. Ennis’ broad appeal will doubtless inspire young British girls to follow in her wake, not least Katarina JohnsonThompson. The 19-year-old competed in London and is already being tipped as the ‘new Ennis’. For now, though, the new Olympic champion has more basic aims: “I’m definitely go-
BORN IN KINGSTON: Richards-Ross ing to relax, eat lots of rubbish food, have a few glasses of wine and enjoy this moment for as long as possible.”
EXORCISED Richards-Ross banished frustrating memories of her 400m third-place in Beijing to take 400m gold, edging out Britain’s defending Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu
African pride
Continent’s Olympians shine at London Games
LEADING THE WAY: Rudisha
By Trudy Simpson WHEN THE Olympics ended on August 12, Africans were well represented on the medal table and they are expecting that this strong presence will spur economic opportunities for the continent. Among the continent’s
champions were Kenyan David Rudisha who set a world record while winning 800m gold and Uganda’s first gold medallist since 1972, men’s marathon winner Stephen Kiprotich. In a country famous for its male athletes, Ethiopian women also shone. Tirunesh Dibaba won 10,000m gold; Tiki Gelena, women’s marathon gold and Meseret Defar 5,000m gold. Women such as Kenya’s Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot did well while British Africans Anthony Joshua and Mo Farah also struck gold.
SUCCESSES African countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia brought trade and investment dele-
“An inspiration for diaspora kids here ” gates alongside athletes. Following London 2012, many are now are confident they will see some post-Olympic economic boost for their countries. Ethiopian Ambassador, Berhanu Kebede, said: “Ethiopia’s successes at the London 2012 Olympics have put Ethiopia on the map and accentuated our country’s many positive sides. This has given us an opportunity to highlight the benefits of
investing in Ethiopia.” He added: “Investors have become aware, many for the first time, of Ethiopia’s double digit growth rate and rapid development. The presence of Olympic heroes, past and present, helped us to maximise this positive impact.” “People tell me they want to go to Africa,” he said. “For the first time Ethiopia participated in swimming and there are some investors who want to invest in swimming in Ethiopia so this thing attracts investment and good feeling for these countries.” John Small, chief executive of business network Eastern African Association, added: “The whole atmosphere of the Olympic Games helps to strengthen bonds and links between the UK and their countries. I think there is enor-
ROOTS: Ennis
on Sunday. It is another remarkable chapter in the JamaicanAmerican’s career. She was diagnosed with Behcets Syndrome in 2007. This chronic illness causes inflammation of the blood vessels and can lead to skin problems, arthritis and meningitis. It can also affect memory speech and movement. Memories of her poor
finish in 2008 were exorcised as she swept ahead of the field in a time of 49.55 seconds. “I just kept saying, ‘You can do this, you can do this,’” she later commented. “I just dug really deep and I’m very happy.” Jamaicans everywhere can allow themselves a hint of pride at the achievements of these fine champions.
mous amount of goodwill but I think it is difficult to say specifically what would come out of it.” In the UK, Ethiopian Yalew Kebede watched and celebrated. “The Olympics is a very special thing for Africa, especially athletics. It is a reflection of the strength of the African people,” explained Kebede, who is the secretary of the UK-based Ethiopian Consensus Forum said.
SPIRITS He said seeing champions, including Ethiopia’s women, were “an inspiration for diaspora kids here”. Unlike the stereotypical views of Africa, he emphasised that “when diaspora Africans see the strength, the stamina, this is also a reflection of Africa in terms of economic development and future development activities. It inspires you.” “I am very proud of those boys and girls because they tried,” said Colin Firth, cocreator of community website, Kenyan UK. He said some Kenyans are disappointed with the low Kenyan medal haul unlike Beijing in 2008. But their spirits were kept high by athletes such as Rudisha. “It was amazing. It deleted all the bad memories
CHAMPION: Dibaba (and) motivated us. Overall I think they did well. It has now motivated us because we are bidding to host the Olympics in 2024.” He says more athletes will be motivated, especially in non-traditional areas such as swimming. “There will be talks of more funding now,” Firth said.
Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement
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Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement
AUGUST 23-29, 2012 | 37
. . . n o t o g r u o f s How the famou QUEEN OF THE TRACK: Ennis
By Ben Lettman
P
RIOR TO the Olympic Games taking place the Voice of Sport highlighted four Team GB track and field competitors who we thought would excel inside the Olympic Stadium. Those athletes were heptathlete Jessica Ennis, long distance runner Mo Farah, triple jumper Phillips Idowu and 400m sprinter Christine Ohuruogu. Due to their success in previous championships, there were high hopes that the quartet would live up to their billing at London 2012. And in three out of the four cases, they did. With the heptathlon taking place
DOUBLE TRIUMPH: Farah
on August 3, which was the opening day of the athletics, Ennis was up first and did not disappoint. In the first of seven disciplines during the two-day event, the 26-yearold Sheffield native ran an outstanding national record of 12.54 seconds in the 100m hurdles. Ennis went on to set two more personal bests in the 200m (22.83 seconds) and javelin (47.49m) en route to extending the heptathlon national record to 6,955 points. Although Ennis was the first of our chosen
BAD EXPERIENCE: Idowu
four in action, it was Farah who was the first to succeed. If there was a roof on top of the Olympic Stadium it would have well and truly been blown off due to amount of cheers the European record holder received from spectators who were willing him on to victory in the 10,000m. With a final lap of 53.48 seconds, there were ecstatic scenes as Farah, 29, crossed the finish line first in a time of 27 minutes 30.42 seconds. Exactly a week later,
The Voice of Sport reviews just how h our ones to watc fared at London 2012
EMOTIONAL: Ohuruogu
Farah once again took on the world’s best long distance runners, this time in the 5,000m. In what was a tactical battle, Farah took the lead with four laps remaining and managed to stay in lane one for the rest of the race, fending off any attacks from his rivals who had to run around him if they wanted to take gold. A frantic final lap of 52.94 seconds saw the Somalia-born runner claim the win in 13 minutes, 41.66 seconds. Going into the Games, Ohuruogu was the only British athlete who was a defending champion and the 28-year-old did not disappoint. Although the Newham, east London resident could not replicate her performance from Beijing 2008, Ohuruogu took a silver medal behind perennial adversary Sanya Rich-
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ards-Ross in 49.70 seconds, her fastest time in four years. Ohuruogu dramatically closed down RichardsRoss in the final 100m but the American maintained her position. An Olympic silver medallist from four years ago, a lot was expected from former world and European champion Idowu. However, the 33-year-old of Nigerian descent was clearly not fully fit entering the Games. Idowu, from Hackney, east London, barely competed during the season and could only muster 16.53m, over a metre short of his personal best. That distance was not enough for Idowu to make the final in what was the only negative from our fantastic four. The Olympic Games was a huge success in general and Ennis, Farah and Ohuruogu more than played their part.
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Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement
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g in r e h t in g n li le ExC
What’s next for our medalwinning Olympic boxers?
A
IN-RING ACHIEVEMENTS: Adams
N OLYMPIC gold medal is the biggest prize attainable in amateur boxing and usually sets the ball rolling for a lucrative career in the professional ranks. And having earned three golds, a silver and a bronze medal at the ExCel Arena at London 2012, Team GB’s boxers could easily cash in on their resounding success. But this might not necessarily be the wisest move. Let us start off with analysing the prospects for Team GB’s smallest fighter, Leeds’ Nicola Adams. The 29-year-old flyweight completely outboxed threetime world champion Ren Cancan on her way to a historic 16-7 points victory. Beating the Chinese meant that Adams became the first ever female to win gold at the Olympic Games. So should Adams turn professional I hear you say? Not
really, to be honest. And there is a simple reason as to why. Women’s professional boxing is not taken as seriously as the men’s version.
AMATEUR While Adams is marketable due to her humble attitude and in-ring achievements, the calibre of opposition is probably fiercer in the amateur ranks and being an Olympic gold med-
“Team GB’s boxers could easily cash in on their resounding success ”
GOLDEN BOY: Joshua allist in the amateur system as a woman arguably holds more prestige than holding a world title as a professional. Adams should definitely stay amateur and focus on retaining her title at the 2016 Games in Brazil. Now time for our largest pugilist; the 6’, 6” super-heavyweight Anthony Joshua. The 22-year-old of Nigerian heritage narrowly defeated the former world and Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle on count back to claim gold for Great Britain. Several promoters from various locations have announced an interest in signing Joshua to a professional contract but the north Londoner has stated that he wants to become a world champion before turning pro. And this is a wise move. With less than 50 fights under his belt, Joshua is a relative novice to the sport and needs more time to nurture his undoubted talent. If Joshua takes
off the vest and head guard too soon he could miss out on valuable lessons that only amateur boxing provides. Staying an amateur until Rio, however, remains unlikely.
KNOWLEDGE Middleweight Anthony Ogogo secured a bronze medal at the Games and it is the perfect time for the Lowestoft, Suffolk fighter to turn professional. Ogogo, 23, was involved in some toe-to-toe wars at the ExCel Arena, such as his bruising encounter against world champion Evhen Khytrov, who he defeated on count back. A former youth Olympic Games gold medallist, Ogogo has been an elite amateur for close to 10 years and is equipped with vast knowledge inside the square circle that will keep him in good stead in the future, whether he turns professional or not.
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Voice London 2012 souvenir supplement