“I’m here to make history”
issue 266, July 27 2012 Radar 09 At least you’re better than me Cheer up all non-medal winners with this lovely range of posters
11 Peter the Great? The man standing between Mark Cavendish and Olympic gold
12 The Olympic Journey An excellent new exhibition at, er, the Royal Opera House
15 Formula 1 A half-term report from Sky commentator Martin Brundle oFeatures this coming week
22 Usain Bolt
22
Cover photography by Jon Enoch. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, Rex Features
32
09
If the fastest man on the planet is feeling the pressure ahead of London 2012, he isn’t showing it
32 Lord Coe
Job almost done for the man behind the London Games
39 Keri-Anne Payne
Team GB’s marathon swimmer on life in the open waters
42 London 2012: The Week Ahead We mark your card as to the best of the action to catch in week one
48 Luol Deng
The big man with big hopes for the Team GB basketball team
76
extra Time 68 Gadgets The technology to enhance your London 2012 experience
70 Lauryn Mark Or, as we call her, the girl with the potentially golden gun
72 Kit
39
Inspired by the Olympics? Then you may want a pair of spikes
76 Entertainment
The bear who could properly have both Wenlock and Mandeville | July 27 2012 | 03
Radar
p11 – Peter Sagan: cycling’s Lionel Messi p12 – Exhibitions everywhere you look p15 – F1: Mr Brundle’s half-term report
Olympic no-hopers T
here’s a noble sporting tradition of supporting the underdog. You know – the athlete who lands face first in the long jump, falls off the trampoline or blows their toes off in the shooting. What we’re
saying here is, we want you to get right behind Team GB for London 2012. Parp! Not really: Brits will be amply supported, but what about the athletes from smaller nations who don’t have lottery funding and whose athletes probably qualified via the ‘Eric the Eel Programme’? They need our cheers – and the good people at London Underdogs have created a range of posters you can print to inspire them (sort of). No matter what weird and wonderful event you have tickets for, these are a colourful and realistic motivational tool. Download and print via londonunderdogs.com
| July 27 2012 | 09
Radar
Know your enemy
M
ark Cavendish bids to take Britain’s first 2012 Olympic gold in the road race tomorrow – and the man most likely to stop him is a prodigy hyped as ‘the Lionel Messi of cycling’ (and not because he’s a scruffy, 5ft 5ins Argentinian). Peter Sagan is Slovakian, 22 years old, and usurped Cav as the Green Jersey winner at the 2012 Tour de France. Sport asked Cycling Weekly expert Nick Bull for the lowdown on this showdown.
Tour de force “Sagan burst on to the scene in 2010, his first year with a top-division team. He may have won only five races that season – as opposed to Cavendish’s 11 in his debut year – but they were all in highly ranked races and against established opposition. It’s not a massive
surprise how well he’s done in the Tour de France. He won three stages in the Vuelta a Espana last year, which was a brutal race.”
Mostly Messi “Why has he been compared to Lionel Messi? Well, if Messi’s the golden boy of football, Sagan could be the cycling equivalent. He is extremely versatile – he can sprint and climb, attributes that aren’t mutually exclusive. That would be like David Beckham being able to cross a ball as well as defend. Sagan’s abilities should mean he wins plenty of races.”
Danger man “Sagan is punchy, combative and, most importantly, he’s smart. He can read a race and he gets into the right positions.
Most strikers in football need that predatory instinct about them, and race winners in cycling are no different. Cavendish will have to beat the challenge of Sagan and German André Greipel if he wants to win gold.”
Who will win “On The Mall, I’d still back Cavendish. There is the home advantage factor, but more important is Cavendish’s record. When he goes all out to win, he is more often than not unbeatable. He hasn’t been so prolific in 2012 to date, but that’s because he’s been training hard to improve his power-to-weight ratio – which, with the amount of climbing on offer during the road race (nine laps of Box Hill will hurt) could be decisive.” Nick Bull @nickbull21
Underwater love
paean to the intensity of it all – mentally swimming laps while watching the microwave timer, spotting other swimmers with their chlorine-wrecked hair. It’s also awash with Ms Shapton’s exquisite watercolours and illustrations. Not one to buy for your uncle who enjoyed reading Mr Unbelievable by Chris Kamara, but it makes a picture-perfect gift for any swimming fanatic. Swimming Studies, out now (Particular Books), £20
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images, Bryn Lennon/Getty Images, Jason Fulford
C
ompetitive swimming is arguably the most solitary and obsessively demanding of any sport. It’s this world that Swimming Studies lets you peek into, via the skills of the multitalented Leanne Shapton – illustrator, writer and once a competitive swimmer who, as a teenager, made it to the 1988 and 1992 Olympic trials. Her elegant collection of anecdotes and observations on life in the pool isn’t about glorious sporting victories, but is rather a
| July 27 2012 | 11
Radar
Capital choice
L
ondon has almost as many free sporting exhibitions on right now as there are official snack foods of the Olympic Games – and the big kahuna of them all opens tomorrow with The Olympic Journey at the Royal Opera House. It’s not a place we’d normally associate with Jesse Owens’ long jump shoes, Olympic medals from 1896 and boxing gloves dating back to 1900. It is here, however, that you can stroll through the history of the Games – complete with screens
showing iconic moments, plus the personal stories of Kelly Holmes, Cathy Freeman, Steve Redgrave and 13 other Olympic greats. If you’d rather something more leftfield, however, try Pursuit of Perfection: The Politics of Sport at the South London Gallery. This eclectic exhibition features an eye-catching pile of 2,529 – count ‘em – trophies (below), a dry-witted baseball commentary and a video focusing on the remarkably flexible pelvis that athletes display. This unabashed crotch-watchery is the kind of analysis that is likely to be sadly lacking from Clare Balding on the Beeb this summer. The Olympic Journey, July 28 to August 12, roh.org.uk Pursuit of Perfection, July 27 to September 14, southlondongallery.org
Pursuit of Perfection: just don’t kick the football dog or steal from Triumph (left)
House of fun
12 | July 27 2012 |
S
port likes to entertain, which is why we’ll be inviting our two friends over to watch the Games with a warm beer and a bowl of peanuts. Though whether they show up when the House of Nations opens its doors is doubtful, because its pop-up venues in King’s Cross and at the Tower of London (inset) are like homes from home. That is, if you’re used to being greeted at home with a glass of champagne, then kicking back in front of giant screens showing the day’s Olympic action while being served cocktails and food platters. There’s also the chance to have your photo taken with the Olympic torch, while its King’s Cross venue turns into a club with a top lineup of resident DJs at sundown. Prices range between a £90 gold pass to £10 for general admission. The beer won’t be warm, but there may be peanuts. houseofnations.co.uk
1914/Comité International Olympique (CIO)/PIROU, Allsport UK, Aleksandra Mir, Ariel Orozco & Selma Feriani Gallery, London
The Olympic Journey: from the early modern Games (below) to the greatest amateur boxer, Cuba’s Teofilo Stevenson (right)
Radar
Must drive faster Fernando Alonso
Michael Schumacher
“Alonso has been the most impressive without a doubt. He’s been consistent in a miserable car. You just have to look at the points difference between him and Massa to see how good he is – 154 to 23. That’s a gap of five Grand Prix race wins, and that underlines what a good job he’s been doing.”
“I think this is probably Michael’s best season since he’s come back. He’s had reliability problems, but I don’t think he’s got enough pace out of the car.”
Mark Webber
Kimi Raikkonen “I think Kimi Raikkonen should have won at least one race. In terms of his potential, he’s underperformed. But then, his whole team has.”
“He has been great lately – he had that British Grand Prix win with all the contract negotiations going on. Last season, he was blown out of the water by Sebastian Vettel; although he hasn’t exactly blown him out of the water this time, he’s done better – and that’s to do with the 2012 car.”
“He hasn’t done well in the Williams in comparison to Pastor Maldonado. I think if Rubens Barrichello had still been there, he would have done a better job.”
Romain Grosjean
Toro Rosso (with Jean-Eric Vergne, left)
“He’s made too many mistakes, but his points don’t support his raw pace and potential. He’s probably been the top driver in that Lotus – he just needs to cut the mistakes out. He had two first-lap incidents in the first three races and, given that he’d just come back for a second chance in the sport, I think a lot of drivers would have been mentally buried after that – but he wasn’t.”
Bruno Senna
“The two Toro Rosso boys – one of them had a chance to take Webber’s seat at Red Bull – just haven’t been good enough.”
Sky Sports F1 Race Control includes eight video feeds, highlights and social media as part of the Sky Sports for iPad app
Beats by Cav A
lthough he didn’t retain the Green Jersey in Le Tour, Mark Cavendish has added a shade of jade to this Urban Survival Pack, as he swaps France’s rolling hills for London’s static gridlock. We’d question whether a man who spends his time cycling up mountains is best placed to advise on urban survival. Still, it’s lovely. There’s a limited-edition pair of Beats by Dre headphones adorned with Cav’s signature, some sharp Nike Blazer Mid iD trainers and a compass, all crammed in a Nike Cheyenne backpack. Not that good for cycling, but great for surviving in the urban sprawl. Except the compass. We don’t know what that’s about. Nike Urban Survival Pack, £395, available at Selfridges Concept Store
All F1 pictures Getty Images
S
ummer is upon us, and that means it’s holiday time in Formula 1. With a month away after this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix (see our preview on page 62), Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle marks the drivers’ form before they jet off. No part-time jobs here...
| July 27 2012 | 15
Radar Editor’s letter
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How the vest was won: Wiggins’ Tour victory will surely boost cycling’s popularity in the UK
Setting an example As more people head to the bike shops, what can other sports learn from cycling?
B Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney
radley Wiggins deserves all that comes his way. The inevitable knighthood, the big pot of cash, the appearance on the Graham Norton Show. His victory in the Tour de France is one of the most impressive sporting feats by a Briton that I can remember; certainly, it’s the best in this magazine’s six-year lifetime. The Tour is a brutal test: so much so that riders were once expected – even encouraged – to take drugs because, well, it was pretty much impossible to complete it without them. Last Sunday, Wiggins led the evening news. On Monday he was on the front page of every national newspaper. We have fallen in love with cycling in a big way. Many of us – myself included – are Johnny-come-latelys to this particular party. The reasons are many, though lack of British success until recently would be
one of them. The other would be the issue of drugs and the assumption that it was seen as the dirtiest sport in the world. Suddenly, though, it is the sporting flavour of the month. We have real heroes on the road and the track. As a result, it will get more financial backing and become even stronger. That’s brilliant for cycling, but can other sports emulate it? Or even, more worryingly, can other sports stop their own backers deserting them and switching to cycling? What cycling has proved is that it is possible to take a relatively niche sport and, with the correct people at the top and the right level of investment, go out and beat the world. Will we see the same in, say, judo or gymnastics? It’s unlikely. But then, a British winner of Le Tour was unlikely. The whole of sport could do worse than use cycling as its blueprint for the future.
What a sporting summer this has been already. Last weekend encapsulated it wonderfully – the climax of the Tour de France, a thrilling finish to the Open Championship, an absorbing Test match between England and South Africa, one of the horse races of the season in the King George... all on the back of a great Wimbledon, and all leading up to the greatest sporting show on earth. If anyone tells me they ‘can’t wait for the football season to start’, I will gladly throttle them. Well, it’s here. Tonight, the 30th Olympiad will open in London. And finally, after seven years of planning, the sport can commence. Chances are this country will not stage another sporting event quite like this in our lifetimes, so do enjoy it folks. Take pride in living here. And please, in the name of sanity, stop moaning.
Editorial Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951) Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954) Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897) Art editor: John Mahood (7860) Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861) Digital designer: Chris Firth (7624) Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431) Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958), Alex Reid (7915) Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901), Amit Katwala (7914) Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961) Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963) Contributors: David Lawrenson, Nick Bull Commercial Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991) Business Director (Magazine and iPad): Paul Brett (7918) Business Director: Kevin O’Byrne (7832) Advertising Manager: Steve Hare (7930) New Business Sales Executive: Hayley Robertson (7904) Brand Creative Director: Adam Harris (7426) Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852) Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825) Head of Communications: Laura Wootton (7913) Managing Director: Adam Bullock PA to Managing Director: Sophia Koulle (7826) Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd Printed by: Wyndeham Group Ltd © UTV Media plc 2012 UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Sport magazine £1 where sold Hearty thanks this week to: Joanna Manning-Cooper, Rae Young, Gemma Oakes, Ramin Mosavi, Dominique Delvaille, Holly Clark, Louise Agran
Cover of the Year
Reader comments of the week Brilliant interviews in today’s @sportmaguk with six of Team GB’s leading medal contenders, from Cav to Dai to the Brownlees. #timely
Union flag hat? check, Olympic Torch? check, copy of @Sportmaguk ? check bring on #London2012
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16 | July 27 2012 |
Getting very excited about the Olympics this morning thanks to @Sportmaguk interview with Victoria Pendleton was brilliant. #London2012
Reading @sportmaguk and can’t believe it’s 13 years since Van de Velde and THAT water debacle. It was yours sunshine #hopeswashedaway
@simcevoy Twitter
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LAUNCH OF THE YEAR
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Words by @simoncaney in @sportsmaguk sum it all up nicely - “We can rejoice as Brits pile up a huge stack of gold medals” #london2012 #1week
Radar Frozen in time
Austerity measures British Cycling makes a great play of how closely its riders live and train together – so much so that, in these difficult times, they are forced to bed down in one huge Big Brother-style house and share a telly. Here, they are either watching Billy Mitchell carry the Olympic torch on EastEnders or Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France: your guess is as good as ours. But we bet alpha male Sir Chris Hoy is the only one allowed to use the remote.
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| 19
Michael Steele/Getty Images
Usain Bolt
Catch me if you can Photography by Jon Enoch
ith great irony, the world’s fastest man arrives late, walking at a glacial pace and with a pained expression on his face. We hear the deep, undulating boom of his voice a full minute before he ducks his head to enter a doorway designed by a man who clearly hadn’t considered his dimensions. Usain Bolt is in pain and impatient. “Pleased to meet you,” he says, offering his hand. “But I need to pee.” And with that he’s gone, shuffling back towards the door, the gentlemen’s and his blessed release. Bolt has been sitting in a car for several hours, shuffling at a snail’s pace through the capital’s constipated streets – welcome to London. When he finally returns to the room, he eases himself back and spreads his 6ft 5ins frame across a chaise longue. The pained expression now faded, Bolt has assumed his favourite position: sat on his backside, conserving energy. The smile you’ve seen a hundred times stretches across his face. “Life’s good,” he says. “It’s good to be here.” If Bolt is feeling the pressure of being London 2012’s poster boy – the man whose prospective presence in the 100m final saw more than a million people scramble for 80,000 tickets, which sold out in minutes – he’s not showing it. If he’s feeling the weight of expectation from an audience of four billion – the predicted number of people around the world who will watch in anticipation of seeing him not only reclaim his three golds, but do so while running faster than any man has ever run before – that’s not showing either. And if he’s feeling the pressure of struggling for fitness and form, and having his friend and training partner Yohan Blake breathing down his neck in the 100m and 200m, you really wouldn’t know to look at him now. But that seems the most appropriate place to start... >
W
22 | July 27 2012 |
Usain Bolt
U
sain Bolt is finished. When we tell him this his eyes widen and he chuckles at the absurdity. “That’s what they saying? That’s just what the British papers write,” he smiles. “The problem for them is that too much good is not good, y’know – they need some negativity. But one thing I’ve learned is that the media is not your friend. You go about your business and do what you got to do.“ The bigger problem for Bolt has been that what he “got to do“, what he was born to do – running fast enough to justify his surname – has been, well, something of a struggle in the months and weeks leading up to these Games. As recently as last May, having laboured to victory in the Czech Republic in 10.04s, one notable journalist asked if Bolt would even make it through Jamaica’s Olympic trials for the 100m. He obviously did, but could only qualify in both the 100m and the 200m behind that man Blake. And that is where the ’Usain Bolt is finished’ theory found its voice. Some claim Bolt’s struggles in qualifying were simply a calculated plan to throw the world off his scent. Knowing even third place in the trials would secure his spot in London, he chose not to risk injury by overreaching. Some also see logic in increasing the expectations and pressure on his closest rival for gold. Even so, when Blake’s name inevitably comes up, Bolt’s smile drops slightly and he becomes a tiny fraction more serious. Famously, nothing much frightens Usain St Leo Bolt, apart from African killer ants and swimming in deep water where he can’t see what’s lurking beneath. Now we can add one more to that list: the fear of losing one or both of his Olympic golds to his younger compatriot, the man nicknamed ’The Beast’. ”I’m not scared,“ he shrugs. ”But the truth is I’m feeling a little bit of nerves or something. I don’t wanna lose my medals to Blake or any man. But I guess everybody feel the nerves in some way, so this is normal.“ Whatever they are, Bolt has become a true master of suppressing any self-doubt and projecting preposterous confidence. It wasn’t always thus. Back in 2002, competing in the World Junior Championships in Jamaica, the 15-year-old Bolt had been so gripped by doubting demons that he put his spikes on the wrong feet. He swapped them in time, won the race and vowed never again to run scared. So he formulated the following ingenious and complicated three-point plan: Point 1: Just don’t think about it. Point 2: Pretend it’s not happening. Point 3: See Point 1 and repeat. In sport, and particularly the men’s 100m, much of the battle is waged behind closed doors. “The warm-up area is the place where you learn everything,” says British coach Frank Dick, who was present backstage in the moments leading up to the most infamous 100m in history – Seoul 1988. “You could see these guys playing their games, and their totally different approaches: the surliness of [Ben] Johnson and the flamboyance of [Carl] Lewis. They were like two prizefighters. Gladiators. There was so much tension, it was tingling.“ The two chose very different approaches: Lewis worked the room, shaking hands with his rivals; Johnson retreated into himself, and beat himself up for accidentally accepting Lewis’ hand. >
24 | July 27 2012 |
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Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images
Usain Bolt
Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson had his own approach. ”Before a race, you can be in a call room and be as close to your competitor as we are now,” he told Sport, sat no more than six feet away. ”So, of course, I’m minding my own business, I’ve got my own focus... but if I look up and see that you’re looking at me, then I’m going to look at you because I don’t want you to think that I’m intimidated. And then that guy would look away, but he will look back to check if I’m still looking at him, and he’ll find – you know what? – I’m still looking at him. And that scared them. Mission accomplished.“ As for Usain Bolt, what will he focus on? ”Girls, I guess,“ he chuckles. ”Back there before the race, there will be guys who want to stay quiet and stay focused, and guys who want to talk. I prefer to talk, so I’ll talk to any of the Caribbean guys because we know each other and we cool. I’ll probably end up talking with Yohan, because he definitely likes to talk, and we’ll just talk about girls, cars, music... anything that takes your mind off the race.“ Talking to Blake? His closest rival for gold? Is he entirely mental? This is surely a time for mind games. At the very least, he should be giving him some ’Johnson Eyes’. ”Why do I need do that?” he coughs. ”Listen, you don’t need to play mind games if you know you can beat the other person or the other people in there. Mind games are not necessary for me. I just stay relaxed and do my own thing.“ So at what point does Bolt actually start thinking about the race, and about the plans he and his coach have worked on for the past four years? ”The first time I think about
26 | July 27 2012 |
that is when I hear ’on your marks’,“ he laughs. “All that time before we in the blocks, I’ll be waving at the crowd and all that and I’ll still be thinking about anything other than what I’m about to do. Usually, I’ll just think about computer games, because I love playing computer games so they take my mind away.“ (Bolt’s favourite game, by some distance, is Black Ops, a blood-soaked war game on the PlayStation 3. So while you might imagine he’ll be contemplating his race strategy in the moments before the race, he’s more likely got murder in mind.) This sounds ridiculous – the most critical moment of Usain Bolt’s life and he’s still refusing to think about it. He laughs at me laughing at him and then offers an explanation. ”I’m serious. Look, the way it is, when you train, the way you train is to get your techniques down to a pat, so that it comes just routine, right? You train so that it becomes natural that your foot is 10 centimetres off the ground at this point, or half a centimetre at that point or whatever. You train to break it into your body, just like if you get up every morning at six and go to the bathroom and pee. That’s all training is – breaking your body in to certain things. I train hard so that when I go into a race – any race – my mind automatically turns on to what I got to do when I need it to. So when I’m in the blocks, it switches on: I got to run
Bolt burns his rivals in Beijing on his way to a then world record 9.69s
now, let’s do this. And everything you’ve worked on just come together.” We’ll first find out if it does just ’come together’ as planned on August 4, in the 100m heats, then have our definitive answer in the following night’s final – the most exhilarating 10 seconds in the whole Olympic Games. At around 6.50pm on Sunday August 5, a vast chunk of the world will fall silent as Bolt crouches in the blocks and finally finds some focus. Four billion, plus another 80,000 watching live, will have never sounded so quiet – waiting as one for the B of that BANG, the shot heard around the world. What follows will be short, sharp, and should break down – for Bolt at least – as follows. 0-40m Being a big-leggy 6ft 5ins, Bolt is at a distinct disadvantage once the gun goes bang. His starts are often sluggish as he unfurls his giant frame – something he’s been working hard to improve on, along with correcting the flaw that sees his toe graze the floor during his opening stride. Any temptation to fly from the blocks to keep up with the more naturally explosive Blake will no doubt be tempered by the false start that saw him eliminated from the World Championships 100m final – handing Blake his crown. ”That first 40 is crucial,” is as concerned as Bolt will get. ”I know I have to get a good start.” >
“Before the race, I’ll probably end up talking with Yohan, and we’ll just talk about girls, cars, music... anything that takes your mind off the race” Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand
Usain Bolt What’s actually going through his mind during this phase – does he have time to think about anything? ”A lot of that first 40, I’m just looking around me, checking where I’m at, checking who’s doing what and what I need to do to get past. I look around and I just assess, y’know. Do I need to step up or can I relax a bit? Coach tells me I should stop looking around, but it just comes naturally, like an instinct.” If, at this point, you’re in the stadium and shouting any kind of encouragement at Bolt, don’t waste your breath – he can’t hear you. ”When the gun go, I kinda get like tunnel vision, I guess,” he says. ”The only sound I’m hearing at that point is footsteps hitting the track, but nothing much else. I don’t know why, but I don’t hear much of the crowd.”
Stu Forster/Getty Images, Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images
40-60m If Bolt is in front by the time he hits the 40m mark, all bets are off. ”I know I’m going to win if I’m ahead by then,” he smiles. You might consider it an arrogant smile, were it not so patently true. And from 40 metres on, his eyes have switched from his rivals to the clock. ”Maybe I shouldn’t be looking at the time, but I can’t help it,” he chuckles. ”It just happens automatically.” And if he’s trailing after 40 metres – something some people want to see? Bolt just shrugs, unperturbed. ”If I am, I am. I’ll just do what I do, step things up.” 60-80m The next 20 metres should take Bolt less than two seconds, and see him hitting his oversized stride. In the 2008 Olympic final, he covered 100m in 40-41 strides; the average was 47, and his stride was measured at about a foot longer than everyone else’s. Between 60m and 80m, he’ll expect to hit his peak speed (around 45km/h) and should be stretching his lead. How does it feel to run faster than any man has ever run before? ”I can’t answer that,” he smiles again. ”I don’t know how it feels, I don’t have time to think ’bout how
Speed thrills 0-20m: 2.89sec
it feels – it’s just a case of putting one foot in front of the other, going through the motions and doing what comes naturally.” 80m-immortality? If all has gone to plan and Bolt is out in front, from 80 metres on some eight billion eyes will be flicking back and forth between the clock and Bolt, hoping to witness something – be it a new world record or an act of quite rampant exhibitionism. In 2008, we saw both – Bolt showboating his way to the line, extending his arms and thumping his chest as he ran the final 20 metres. Had he finished the race at full tilt and not buggered about, physicists from Oslo’s Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics calculated he could have slashed his time from 9.69s to 9.55s. This time will be different, he promises. This time he swears he’ll take it seriously. Looking ahead to London, Bolt has previously stated: ”I want to be a legend. The real legends win again and again.” He has also announced that he plans to ”blow people away” with what he’ll achieve. ”I’m still aiming to do that,” he says now. ”When people talk about Usain Bolt, they’re gonna be...” and with this he widens his eyes in disbelief. In basic terms, this must mean reclaiming the golds he won in Beijing in the 100m, plus the 200m and 4x100m? ”Definitely, definitely. I’m going back for my three gold medals, y’know. That’s always been the aim, and that ain’t changed.” The problem for Bolt – alongside the genuine emergence of Yohan Blake – is that three gold medals won’t be enough. People will consider Bolt to have ’failed’ if he doesn’t win at least the 100m by going faster than any man has ever gone before. In his 2010 autobiography, Usain Bolt: My Story, he predicted he could run 100m in 9.4s. Experts agree this is possible. If he finds a more explosive start. If he runs with the benefit of a trailing wind. And if he runs at altitude. Only one of those ifs he can
“I’m going back for my three gold medals, y’know. That’s always been the aim, and that ain’t changed” control himself, so does he genuinely believe 9.4s to be possible? He laughs – then the laugh cools to a low chuckle. ”You can’t think about times, y’know. You can never start dreaming about what you might achieve, because when you think about times you forget to relax, forget about doing certain other things because you’re focused on going so fast and you overtry. The key is to think only about winning while running fast – the time takes care of itself.” So, he's not thought about his winning time? ”I didn’t say that,” he laughs. ”I mean, I should say that I haven’t thought about it. But yeah, I have.” And? ”And yeah, you can write that I’m still thinking about 9.4s.” That, then, is the time Bolt is genuinely aiming for on August 5: 9.4s, and you’d be unwise to bet against it. Our time, meanwhile, has apparently expired, judging by the small army of management ’facilitators’ tapping impatiently at their timepieces. Bolt peels himself from the chaise longue, hauls himself back to his feet and thanks us for our time. He shakes hands with everyone and shuffles casually back through the door and off to his next engagement, laughing as he goes. Clearly, the weight of expectation is killing him. Nick Harper Usain Bolt wears the new PUMA evoSPEED spike, available from www.startfitness.co.uk
Breakdown of a world record 20-40m: 1.75sec
40-60m: 1.67sec
60-80m: 1.61sec Total 9.58sec
28 | July 27 2012 |
80-100m: 1.66sec
Usain Bolt
Fact or fiction Millions of words have been dedicated to the subject of Usain St Leo Bolt, but how many of them are true?
Are you worried about what might be down there? ”Oh we know what’s down there alright. [Laughs] That’s why I’d never go snorkelling or scuba diving or whatever – it won’t happen. I know there’s a whole different world under there, but I don’t wanna know. [Laughs] I’ll watch Discovery.” Is it true you have a pet cheetah? ”Yeah, and she’s big now. I think they call her Lightning. I don’t see her though, she’s in Kenya. I just get updates.” Ah, so you only sponsor her? ”Yeah, I sponsor her, she not my pet. I’ll try and go down there and see her after the Olympics are done if I can, but she’s not mine.” Any plans to bring her over to live with you? ”No, man, she’s too big now. Way too big for that.”
30 | July 27 2012 |
Have you ever raced her? ”Not yet, but I think I’d beat her if we did.” Is it true that you have a massive chunk of the Berlin Wall [right] in your house? ”Yeah, that’s true. The organisers [of the 2009 World Championships] came to me and said: ’We want to give you a piece of the Berlin Wall.’ And I’m like ’yeah, why not?’ I thought it would be a little chunk, but it’s 12ft high and like this wide. And I’m like: ’How... er... what am I... er... what?’ But it was an honour, so I had to say yes. It’s not in my house, though. I keep it at the training camp [in Jamaica] so people can go and see it.” Is it the chunk David Hasselhoff sang on? Is he still up there? ”Who is Hasselhoff? I’ve heard his name but I don’t actually know who he is. [Sport explains, possibly in more detail than is actually required]. I’m pretty sure he’s not on the wall I have. Not last time I checked.” You have ambitions of playing football for Manchester United. That’s just a dream though, right? ”No, I’m serious. I know I’m leaving it late and I know it’s a big claim, but I’m deadly serious when I say I want to try. The thing is, I’ve seen some of these guys play, and I think I can do much better. I’m not saying I have no respect for these guys, but let me see if I’m just talking. I think I can do it and I’d love to try, but...”
Lightning the cheetah: named so as a precursor to Bolt, and not after the Gladiators badass
What position would you play? ”On the wing. I’d use my pace, y’know.” So what will happen – is this it for athletics? [Smiles] ”Who knows? After the Olympics, I’ll sit down with coach and discuss my options, see what I should be doing next and we’ll see where we go. But believe me, I’m serious about the football.” This one can’t be true: the fastest man in the world drives a Honda Accord... ”Ha! Careful. That was my first car, man. I still have it – it has sentimental value! Is it faster than me? [Laughs] I’m not sure about that, but it’s a good car. It’s not my favourite. That would be the [Nissan] GT-R – that’s nice, man. But I love my cars and I want to get a new one.” Well, you can – you’re ferociously rich... ”Ha! I think I probably will. I also want to get a boat. People say I should just get a small one, but no way – I’m scared of water, so it’ll need to be big, y’know.” If you’re worried, maybe you should just keep it permanently on land... ”Good idea. A massive boat on the land. Yeah, that’s the plan.” Isn’t that just a house? ”Yeah, but I already have a house. I want a boat!” Nick Harper
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Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images, Sandra Behne/Bongarts/Getty Images
We’ve read that you’re petrified of deep water. Is that true? ”Ha, yeah, that’s the truth. Why? Because I’m not that good a swimmer, y’know. You know when most people can stay in one place... what do they call that? [Sport suggests ’treading water’]. Yeah. Well, I can’t do that. I can swim, but I can’t tread water. So I have to keep moving, and you can’t keep moving for a long time, y’know. You get too tired.”
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Lord Coe
32 | July 27 2012 |
Why his life may never be the same again Today is a massive moment for me personally ”Being given the opportunity to work alongside a team landing an Olympics in the city you were born in is, I accept, given to few people – and I feel very privileged to be doing it.”
It’s been a long journey ”When I started working on the bid, one of my daughters was three years old. She’s now 13. My eldest daughter was still at primary school, and she’s now in her second year at university. But you could say my journey actually started when I joined my first athletics club as a child and worked my way towards two Olympic Games. I’ve been involved with the Olympic movement for 33 years now.”
I didn’t come into this blindly ”I came in with expectations. I don’t think you can have been involved as a competitor at an Olympics or been involved, as I was, with politics without gaining some insight into the vagaries of public opinion and the need to communicate clearly all the time what you’re doing. I knew instinctively where the pressure points would come.”
I owe everything to sport ”It’s what has defined me and large parts of my life. I’m sitting here today not because I’m a sport administrator, but because I entered sport as a competitor. That means I will
always see this event through the optics of a competitor. Sport is what I’m delivering – I’ve never lost sight of the fact that this is a sporting event.”
You should always listen to those close to you ”I have a very, very close circle of friends whose judgement I value – and one person particularly, who I had supper with the night I was offered the responsibility. He was an east Londoner – sadly no longer with us – and my closest friend. He said: ’Look, of course you have to do it. Because you understand, because I’ve shown you, what sport means in east London.’ But he did offer the view that I would either be carrying the torch or the can, and he was probably right about that.”
The weight of the nation is on my shoulders “I think we’ve all recognised, from whatever the part of the project we’ve come from, that there’s a massive responsibility to get this right. This is the biggest project most of the nation will have witnessed in living memory, and we feel a big responsibility to deliver it and make people feel proud.”
The world will keep on surprising you “Whether this journey has changed me or not is the sort of question you’re best to ask my family. But I wouldn’t let them answer you. >
| 33
jameslincoln.co.uk
Leading London’s Olympic bid and seeing the city transform itself for the biggest sporting event in its history has changed Seb Coe’s world view for the better. And, he tells Sport, there’s no going back
Lord Coe All I can say is that there’s never a day that goes by without you learning something about the project or a little bit more about human nature. Anyone who’s been involved with this will tell you that there are things you have witnessed, things you’ve seen, that will change your view about the world. And that view is far and away a very positive one.“
I’ll always remember my Sheffield bus ride “I was sitting on it on the Torch Relay route, listening to 20 people talking about why they’d been nominated to carry the torch. That was probably the moment so far that I’ll remember the longest. There was a man who had sat talking somebody out of a suicide attempt for four hours on a bridge, and others who’d suffered real health issues yet still picked themselves up and tried to help others in that same situation. It was a great moment for me to listen to all those personal stories.“
There’s no going back “There hasn’t been a single time when we’ve felt beaten or defeated during this project. As with all jobs, some days are better than others. But, overwhelmingly, I think this has been a project that everybody has just felt a great privilege to be involved with. Life may never be the same for any of us again.“
This job has no off button “In the past 24 hours, I’ve taken the Chief of the Defence Staff around the Olympic Park with all his generals, and been to Newham to thank all the people working at the local council for their initiatives to get more young people involved in sport. Then I had a whole batch of interviews before speaking to all our teams last night at an event in the
build-up to the Games. And this morning I was talking to all the Mayor’s teams at City Hall... so the days are long. I’m normally up by 4.45am and working – one way or another – by 7am, and I don't finish until late in the evening.“
Running is in my blood “I try to run every other day, though it’s not always easy. It tends to be in the morning, and when I’m travelling it’s usually in hotel gyms. I work through the weekends, but I try where possible to carve out some time for my kids, which is very important.“
I couldn’t have made it through the past 10 years without my wife “She has been an amazing person just to have around, really, for the past decade.“
There are no easy days “If I could give the organisers of the Rio 2016 Olympics some advice, it would be to recognise that it is tough. But you know, this is given to very few cities. If it was easy, every city would be doing it. I’d also tell them to understand that every day is a challenge, but to trust your instincts and trust the judgements of local people as well – because they follow closely what you’re doing.“
Never count the days – make the days count “The athlete in me tells me never to focus on anything other than the finishing line. Every minute of every day you have to focus and work and add value to everything you do, because it’s the small details that make the difference between a good and a great Games – particularly for the competitors. We’re in great shape, but we will be working right up to the starting pistol.“ Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag
All pictures Getty Images
It's been tough. But if it was easy, every city would do it
Ten years in the making: from leading London's Olympic bid to overseeing the city's transformation, Coe has (clockwise, from above) shared a smile with Princess Anne in Singapore; helped lay the foundations of the Aquatics Centre; visited the Olympic Stadium with David Beckham; held the Olympic Torch at St Pancras; popped into Downing Street with Tony Blair and the IOC; and unveiled the official Games logo. It is, as he says, a full-time job
34 | July 27 2012 |
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London 2012
For those who haven’t been entirely paying attention in the run-up, here are the If that’s the more polite way of asking ’when will it be over?’ then the news is good. When London hosted The Olympics in 1908, they lasted 187 days. This time around, they’ll be finished 16 days from now. The 2012 Games start tonight with the opening ceremony at 7.30pm, and finish at 10.30pm on August 12 with the closing ceremony. Sandwiched in between, there are a full 304 events.
wHAT wILL TOnIGHT’S OPEnInG CErEMOnY InvOLvE?
We’d hoped that, in a nod to the East End’s hoary heritage, Danny Boyle’s artistic direction would lean heavily on Pearly Kings and Queens and feature a deranged murderer garotting gin-jiggered prostitutes. Sadly not. Instead, Boyle will transform the Olympic Stadium as a vision of the British countryside, with meadows, rivers, several ’clouds’ suspended on wire and a whole array of RADA-registered farm animals. With a cast of thousands, there will be a maypole and two moshpits, a tribute to the NHS and the clanging of a truly massive bell. And after the am-dram, popular beat combination Underworld will play some hits while athletes from every nation walk round the track waving flags and asking themselves how the hell it ended up costing £27m.
EvErY nATIOn? HOw MAnY ArE wE TALkInG HErE?
Pretty much every single nation on earth, bar the former Netherlands Antilles, which had its IOC membership withdrawn last year because of some underhand shenanigans (but it will have three athletes competing independently). Some 204 nations are represented, each having – at the very least – a single qualified entrant. As the host with the most, Team GB will be deploying 542 athletes – although that’s still 200-plus fewer than the number of BBC accredited journalists who’ll be attending. And if you like cheering on underdog athletes from nations you’d never find on a map, you’re in for 13 unforgettable days. Elsie Uwamahoro of Burundi? Sled Dowabobo of Nauru? Come one, come all, we say.
wHAT SPOrTS ArE THEY PLAYInG?
When the original Olympic Games were conceived by the Greeks back in 776BC, they lasted a single day and involved some running, a load of wrestling and plenty of racing about in chariots – all done naked by athletes who had to speak Greek. The Games back then were a celebration of the human body, with the prize on offer simply, and figuratively, an olive branch. The entry policy is less restrictive nowadays and the list of sporting pursuits has shot through the roof. This summer there will be 26 ’sports’ and 39 disciplines, including the Greek classics of running and fighting, alongside such other noble pursuits as swimming, archery, modern pentathlon and track cycling, alongside the more recent additions of tennis, football, BMX bikes and competitive eating.
Reported cost, in sterling, of a premium ticket to the opening ceremony, including access to the best fine dining (our guess being a Big Mac meal, can of Coke and a bar of Whole Milk). Conversely though, 75 per cent of all tickets cost less than £50 The fastest time, in seconds, Usain Bolt believes he can ever run the 100m. Other experts have predicted the world record will never go lower than 9.36 seconds
The cost of a guaranteed seat at the men's 100m final. The math: 27,000 ÷ 9.58 seconds = good grief!
36 | July 27 2012 |
Number of Londoners planning to take a sick day from work to watch the Olympics – that's one in four, according to a survey by retailer Littlewoods.com
answers to eight key questions you’ll need to know during these Olympic Games
WHErE ArE BrITAIn’S GOLD MEDALS LIkELY TO COME frOM?
The bulk of them are expected to come from sports involving sitting on one’s arse – rowing/canoe (5), cycling (4) and sailing (2). Of the names we all recognise, Mo Farah is expected to win double gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m, Rebecca Adlington a gold in the 400m freestyle, Chris Hoy in the keirin, Jason Kenny and Victoria Pendleton in the sprint, Ben Ainslie in the Finn and the big-leggy red-top Phillips Idowu in the triple jump. Assuming he’s fit, that is. NB The bad news here is that none of those gold medals are ’proper’ gold – they haven’t been since the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Since then, they’ve been downgraded to gold-plated silver, which may hit their resale value on eBay
WHAT DO THOSE OLYMPIC rInGS DEPICT?
The interlocking Olympic rings logo was designed by French historian Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a man with the finest whiskers in all of sport. Each ring represents a continent (though no continent is represented by any specific ring), to symbolise the “five parts of the world which are now won over to Olympism and willing to accept healthy competition“. And one bonus fact for the water cooler: every national flag in the world includes one of the five colours.
IS THE OffICIAL MASCOT SUPPOSED TO rEPrESEnT SOMETHInG?
tty Im ag es
Into the clammy grasp of Uncle Sam, as usual, it seems. According to the Infostrada Virtual Medal Table’s predictions, based on form and fitness and all manner of clever computer wizardry, the USA will take 39 golds and 88 medals in total. China will win 34 golds (92 in all), ahead of Russia’s 21 (83). Team GB trail home in fourth with 19 golds (64 in all), the exact same figure from Beijing. Crucially, this would edge them two golds ahead of their closest and most trusted rivals, the Germans.
All pic tures Ge
WHErE ArE ALL THE GOLDS GOInG?
What looks at first glance to be one-eyed slug is, on closer inspection (of a press release), Wenlock, a one-eyed drop of steel. He was named after the tiny Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which hosted the forerunner to the modern Olympic Games, and his head represents the shape of the Olympic stadium roof. He wears the Olympic rings as bangles around his ’wrist’ – and, in what has been called ’an homage to London taxis’, has a yellow light on his head. Presumably, in this case, he’ll take the longest route possible to get to where he’s going and have political opinions most generously described as ’old school’.
Number of condoms being provided for athletes in the Olympic village – a sexy 50,000 more than in Beijing. Pity the poor cleaners
The fine, in sterling, threatened to anyone streaking at the 2012 Games – a move designed to stamp out 'ambush' marketing of non-Olympic family product. Scrawl your website on your chest and you're in trouble. Flash your wanger to four billion people and you'll receive just a stiff rebuke, unless it's really obnoxious
Predicted cost of hosting the 2012 Games, in pounds – that's one 11 and nine zeros | 19
Keri-Anne Payne
NO PAYNE, NO GAIN
has been anywhere near as bad as that ever since. After that, it was the Beijing Olympic trials, then suddenly: ‘Ooh, it’s the Olympics!’ I’ve learned to love it, and it is my main focus now. Those who know me will know that for me to say that is a really big step forward. And I think embracing it is only going to make things better for me.”
Your event is officially termed the 10km marathon. What hurts most by the end? “Your shoulders tend to hurt more than anything. But really, everything hurts. You have a swimming hat on for two hours and goggles that dig into your head, so I tend to get a really bad headache about five kilometres into the race. Where your costume sits on your shoulders, that hurts. And usually you’re swimming in the heat of the day for two hours – so it’s everything, pretty much. Maybe your toes don’t hurt, but then they probably do because of all the other swimmers tapping them all the time.” On dry land, things can change a lot between the start and finish of a marathon. Is it the same in the water? “Yeah, anything can happen; the weather can change, the currents can change, you can get stuck at a buoy or go the wrong way and get disoriented – there’s so
much that can happen in open water, so to have a near-perfect race is unusual.”
SEE HER IN 10km marathon swim
You started off as a pool swimmer. What was your initial response when your coach suggested you try the open water? [Laughs] “Er, I’m not sure I can repeat it. Open water wasn’t my first choice – my heart is in the pool and I still love doing it, which is why I persist with it. Sean [Kelly, her coach] just said: ‘Give it a go and see how you get on.’ After the first one, I said I didn’t really like it, but he told me to try it again and see how the next one goes. The second one was a bit of a shocker at the worlds in 2007. I was leading most of the way and made a rookie error; I fed at the wrong place and got swum over. Oh, and I got stung by jellyfish for two hours, so it really was horrendous.” But it didn’t stop you? “Well, thinking back now it was probably the best swim I could have had because nothing
WHEN Thursday August 9, 12pm
CHANCES The silver-medallist in Beijing is hotly tipped to win gold in the Serpentine after winning her second world title in China last year. Expect Payne to lead from the off and try to control the race from the front. Italy’s Martina Grimaldi and world 25km champ Ana Marcela Cunha from Brazil are the biggest dangers.
Training takes up the bulk of your time. Do you prefer training to competing? “Training is the most fun part for me. I love the feeling of having done hard work, going home and feeling really tired – the satisfaction you get from that is brilliant. So I probably would say I enjoy the training more than the competition, but I’ve been working really hard with Simon Middlemas – the sports psychologist for the British swimming team – and he’s been brilliant at trying to help me understand the feelings I have before a race. I won’t go too much into it – I don’t want to give too much away – but I’m really happy with the place I’m at right now.” Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag Keri-Anne Payne is a Speedosponsored athlete. For more info, see speedo.co.uk
Rex Features
As the first Brit to qualify for the Games, Keri-Anne Payne has had more time than most to prepare herself for London 2012. But, she told Sport, no amount of preparation can make one of the Games’ most gruelling events any easier
The 10km open-water swim is a relatively new event – Beijing was its Olympic debut. So are you one of the more experienced swimmers doing it? “Certainly not in world terms. There are a lot of open-water swims in Europe, but I just don’t get the chance to go and do them because I prefer getting training in at home. In terms of Britain, I probably am one of the more experienced – but not in terms of the world. I’m like a junior compared to the other girls.”
| July 27 2012 | 39
Fran Halsall
Five For Fran
Francois Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty Images
The only British swimmer to qualify for three individual disciplines at London 2012 is known for her non-stop chatter. But, chasing five medals, Fran Halsall could soon be famous for what she does when her mouth closes You’re racing in five events at the Olympics. Is there a chance you’re spreading yourself too thinly? “Ever since the previous Olympics, I’ve done five events in every major international I’ve competed at – so it’s something I’ve had lots of practice in and I can do. The 100m freestyle is the event I’m best suited to, but I do the butterfly as well to get me into the week for my main freestyle events. And in training, if I’m not having a good freestyle session, I can do butterfly and still knock out a good session – so I go home happy. It works well for me having the different events to mix it up a bit and keep me entertained in training.”
most special one, so the atmosphere in a final is totally different. Having the experience of knowing what that feels like is really going to stand me in good stead.”
What did you make of the Olympic Aquatics Centre when you raced there at the trials earlier this year? “The first time I saw it, the screen wasn’t up at the end and the starting blocks weren’t in and it looked really long. I was like: ‘How am I gonna finish two lengths of that?’ [Laughs] But with all that in and it being dressed for the event, it looked really good. The first swim I walked out for, I was like: ‘This is it – this is where we’re gonna have the Olympics.’ It was all really bright and clean and airy, and it just gave me goosebumps. It was a perfect dress rehearsal for the Olympics, too, because the schedule was all the same. So I know exactly where I’ll need to be and when.”
How different are you as an athlete going into London compared with four years ago? “I’m not as naive in my racing or what I need to do to be as good as I want to be, and I’ve got a lot more weapons in my armoury than I did as a little 18-year-old going into my first one. In one sense, Beijing feels like an age ago. But in another sense, I feel like these past four years have gone so fast. Sometimes I wonder if I will be able to do another four years to Rio? But then I think these past four years have flown by, so I think I will do another one.”
You reached the 100m freestyle final in Beijing, which was your first Olympics. What did you take away from that experience? “Beijing was all a whirl, to be honest. There were so many things to see, so many things to do and the whole experience of being in an Olympic final is totally different to any other competition final I’ve ever been in. There’s just something about an Olympics – it’s the
40 | July 27 2012 |
Had you gone there with any expectations of how you might do? “I had the same expectations as I do for this Games. I wanted to get in and win my races. Every time I get in the pool and swim, I want to win. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, but as long as you think you can – and try to – it’s gonna pay off at some point. I came home from Beijing a little disappointed with my swims, but it was nice to have gone and had that first-time experience.”
And you’re still only 22 years old... “I know, but I’m like one of the veterans on the team now – it’s crazy. I’m the one planning the team initiations. [Laughs] I was only 15 when I went to the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, though, so it feels like I’ve been competing internationally for a long time.” Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag Fran Halsall uses Multipower Sportsfood. For sports nutrition tailored to your individual needs, visit multipower.co.uk
See Her in 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay
WHen From July 28 (100m butterfly heats) to August 4 (50m freestyle final)
CHanCeS Halsall says her main hope is for gold in the 100m freestyle, where she’s ranked three in the world – but she could also challenge over the singlelength 50m, in which she’s second in the world. World record holder over both distances (and double Olympic gold-medallist) is Germany’s Britta Steffen, who bombed out at the worlds in Shanghai last year, but looks to be back on track in 2012. Halsall could also face competition from veteran Swedish sprinter Therese Alshammar, now 34, who won 50m freestyle gold in Shanghai last summer.
London 2012: The Week Ahead
Box of delights Saturday Our pick
Cycling: Men's Road Race Box Hill, 10am Can Mark Cavendish earn Team GB their first gold of the Games over nine laps of a testing Box Hill course in the men's road race? The bookies say so – and, bearing in mind he altered his entire approach to this
Don't miss
year's Tour de France in a bid to improve his chances in London, we tend to agree. Peter Sagan, the 22-year-old Slovakian superstar who claimed the Manxman's Green Jersey in Paris last weekend, is the chief danger – you can find out more about him on page 11.
Swimming: Men's 400m Individual Medley Final Aquatics Centre, 7.30pm It's hard to imagine a of more Olympic golds than any other more exciting race with athlete, but his compatriot Lochte won which to kick off the gold at last year's World Championships swimming at this year's and bested the Baltimore Bullet in this Games: take one in the event at the recent US trials. Two intriguing battle between Michael giants of the pool going at it paddle Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Phelps is the and trunks for just over four minutes defending champ and in possession – you won't want to miss a stroke.
Day-planner 11.30am Tennis Less than three weeks after Wimbledon, many of the same names will rock up at the All England Club for the Olympic tennis tournament. Will the grass have recovered? Can Andy Murray claim gold, or anything, for Team GB? Does anyone actually care? It all starts here and now.
42 | July 27 2012 |
3pm Archery In 2008, the British men's team of Simon Terry, Alan Wills and Larry Godfrey went to Beijing as medal hopes but bombed out before the quarters. The very same trio are back for London – should they make the last eight, this is the time to tune in. And the final is at 6.01pm – on the dot.
5.15pm Football Three days after beating New Zealand in their opening fixture (we're assuming a lot here), Team GB's women welcome Cameroon to the Millennium Stadium. Hopefully the home crowd won't mind that there isn't a single Welsh player in Hope Powell's squad...
10pm Beach Volleyball The first evening session of the women's beach volleyball from Horse Guards Parade. As the sun goes down and the floodlights go on, pour yourself a glass of brandy, sit back and enjoy. Who's actually playing, you ask? Well, there are definitely two teams involved.
Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of top-rate sport on offer at the London Games? Allow us to guide you through week one with our day-by-day pick of the action – and it all starts, at least in theory, with gold number one for Team GB
Sunday Don't miss
Swimming: Women's 400m Freestyle Final Aquatics Centre, 8.15pm If Michael Phelps enduring swimming image from the hadn't been in Beijing, 2008 Games. Sunday sees the now then Rebecca 23-year-old attempt to defend her Adlington's astonishing title; we shall be tuning in to see if she gold in the women's can defeat world champion Federica 400m freestyle, overhauling her US Pellegrini and Camille Muffat, the rival Katie Hoff with a phenomenal fastest girl in the world this year – final 50 metres, would have been the we suggest you do likewise.
Sailing: Men's Finn Race 1 Weymouth & Portland, 12pm Ben Ainslie's bid to emulate Matthew Pinsent as a goldmedallist at four consecutive Olympic Games begins down off the south coast on Sunday lunchtime. Granted, sailing isn't the most riveting
spectator sport in the world; heck, it's possibly one of the worst – but this could be history in the making, and the early races will probably be the ones to watch. By the time Ainslie and his fellow Finn competitors get to the medal race on August 5, gold could already be his.
Day-planner 12pm Cycling It's the turn of the girls to have a crack at two laps of Box Hill, as defending champion Nicole Cooke and Lizzie Armistead go for gold in the women's road race. The main danger, so we believe, is two-time Giro d'Italia winner Marianne Vos of the Netherlands.
2.30pm Basketball A first chance to see LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and the rest, as the United States get their Olympic carnival under way against... well, it doesn't really matter who the hell it is, does it? France, it says here – as if anyone will notice.
3pm Archery What, more archery? You bet – this time the quarter finals of the women's team competition, in which Great Britain came a heartbreaking fourth in Beijing. Can the team of Naomi Folkard, Amy Oliver and Alison Williamson go at least one better?
7.45pm Football Wembley Stadium is the venue as Stuart Pearce's ragtag bunch of Brits take on the mighty United Arab Emirates in their second group game. Something to keep an eye on while you're waiting for Adlington to take to the pool, perhaps. >
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Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images, Jamie Squire/Getty Images, Clive Rose/Getty Images, Clive Mason/Getty Images
Our pick
London 2012: The Week Ahead
Monday Our pick
Diving: Men's Synchronised 10m Platform Final Aquatics Centre, 3pm The Chinese will win, because the Chinese always win everything at the diving, but this will be our first chance to see young Tom Daley in action at London 2012. It would be pretty awesome if he and the other fella – otherwise known as former Olympic silvermedallist Pete Waterfeld – could sneak on to the podium.
Don't miss
Swimming: Men's 100m Backstroke Final Aquatics Centre, 7.56pm A national record wasn't enough to earn Liam Tancock a medal in the 100m backstroke final four years ago – but the two-time world champion over the shorter 50m (a discipline not included in the Olympic programme, sadly) will be back for more in London. Currently ranked seventh in the world, he has a squeak.
Day-planner 10.20am Rowing No medals to be won yet, but two of Team GB's strongest boats kick off their quests on Monday morning. Perennial nearly-woman Kath Grainger and Anna Watkins go in the women's double sculls heats at 10.20am, with the men's four due 20 minutes later. No dramas, please.
3.30pm Weightlifting Britain's highest-profile weightlifter, 18-year-old Zoe Smith, goes in the women's 58kg division. She won't win a medal, we wouldn't think, but that shouldn't stop us crossing our fingers as she powders her palms and puffs her youthful cheeks out.
4.30pm Gymnastics Time for the medals to be decided in the men's team competition at the North Greenwich Arena. A chance to see some of the most impressive athletes – and biggest guns – at the entire Games. Louis Smith leads an improving British team on the hunt for a gong.
7pm Hockey Over to the Riverbank Arena, where Great Britain's men get their Olympic campaign under way against Argentina. We do hope Barry Davies is back in the commentary box for this, even if we're pretty sure neither Sean Kerly nor Imran Sherwani are in the team.
Our pick
Equestrian: Team Eventing Jumping Final Greenwich Park, 10.30am The British eventing team has medalled at the past three Games (two silvers and a bronze), but it's now 40 years since they struck gold in Munich. Can the team of William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Tina Cook, Piggy (yes, Piggy) French and the galloping royal herself, Zara Phillips (left), bring an end to that hoodoo? We'll find out on Tuesday morning.
Don't miss
Canoe Slalom: Men's C1 Semi Finals Eton Dorney, 1.30pm We fully expect to be cheering on David Florence (left) in the semis of the men's canoe slalom singles on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Scot won silver four years ago and has been in excellent form this year, claiming gold across two classes at last month's World Cup event in Cardiff. If all goes to plan, he should go in the final an hour and a half later.
Day-planner 9.30am Judo Team GB's best hope for a medal in judo probably lies with Euan Burton in the -81kg division. Tuesday morning is when it all starts for him, with the semis (hopefully) at 2.03pm and the final (optimistically) at 4.10pm.
44 | July 27 2012 |
3.30pm Fencing Time for the quarter finals of the men's individual foil, which in theory should feature 28-year-old Londoner Richard Kruse. He finished 14th in Beijing, but is a much improved swordsman these days.
7.47pm Swimming The men's 200m butterfly final – an event in which Michael Phelps hasn't been beaten for about a million years. After he's won that, hang on to see how Hannah Miley gets on in the final of the 200m individual medley at 8.39pm.
10pm Volleyball Of the men's indoor variety, where the top two teams in the world rankings – Brazil and Russia – spike off in a preliminary round encounter. Could easily be a rehearsal for the gold-medal match, this one. >
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Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images, Philippe Lopez/Getty Images, Bryn Lennon/Getty Images, Lawrence Griffiths/Getty Images
Tuesday
7 Days SAtUrDAY BoxING | GEoRGE GRovEs v FRANCIsCo sIERRA | sAN JosE, CALIFoRNIA | BoxNAtIoN
Back into the Groves With two fights in the past nine months postponed by injury, British super-middleweight champ George Groves is raring to get back into the ring this weekend. It’s been a doubly frustrating hiatus for Hammersmith’s ‘saint’ as he was on a hot streak in 2011, following a close decision win over bitter rival James DeGale with an eye-catching two-round Ko of paul smith. His next opponent, Francisco sierra, has a respectable record of 25 wins and five losses – but of the five fights he’s had outside his native Mexico it’s telling that he’s won only two. He was outboxed by worldrated thomas oosthuizen
Giants moving on Super League clubs are entering the final straight of a long, tough campaign – but, with just six rounds left, there’s still a lot to play for in terms of qualifying for the playoffs. An intriguing battle takes place on Sunday evening, when St Helens take on Huddersfield Giants (and Leroy Cudjoe, above). Following a spectacular recent loss of form, the Giants dispensed with the services of coach Nathan Brown earlier this month. He’d already declared his intention to leave at the end of the season – to become head coach at Saints, no less – but a run of eight defeats in 10 league and cup matches convinced the club the time was right for him to go. In contrast to Huddersfield’s fall, the rise of their Yorkshire neighbours Leeds Rhinos over the past few weeks has been spectacular. The Rhinos will look to continue their march up the table at 64 | July 27 2012 |
the expense of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at Headingley on Monday night (Sky Sports 1, 8pm). Elsewhere, having been dumped out of the Challenge Cup by the Rhinos, Wigan Warriors will be determined to hang on to top spot in the league, which would give them the best chance of reaching the Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 6. They currently sit three points clear of second-placed Warrington, and should extend that lead with a home win against Castleford Tigers (currently 12th) at the DW Stadium tonight. Should the Warriors emerge victorious from that clash, two sides still chasing them will look to follow suit over the weekend. Warrington Wolves will hope to keep the pressure on in their home game against the troubled Bradford Bulls on Sunday afternoon, while Catalan Dragons should remain within six points of the tabletoppers as they welcome bottom club London Broncos to the south of France on Saturday night. That just leaves Hull KR aiming to keep playoff hopes alive with victory at Widnes Vikings, and Salford City Reds looking to do exactly the same at Hull – both those games are 3pm kick-offs on Sunday.
last November, eventually being stopped in 11 rounds. However, he showed a decent chin in that bout – and his 22 knockouts shows that he can punch at a certain level. Groves will be looking to shake off ring rust and impress the Us crowd, but he mustn’t be overeager. Despite his fine fundamentals and good amateur pedigree, Groves has been hittable in the past. Night owls who stay up for this are also advised to keep their eyes open for the main event, as classy Californian Robert ‘the Ghost’ Guerrero makes his own comeback from injury, taking on unbeaten selcuk Aydin. the turkish boxer is one of several fighters with the ‘Mini-tyson’ nickname – but probably the only one who was once suspended following a physical altercation with a referee. Let’s hope Aydin ignores the ref and focuses on the ghost-busting on saturday.
Gareth Copley/Getty Images, Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
SUNDAY RUGBY LEAGUE | stoBARt sUpER LEAGUE: st HELENs v HUDDERsFIELD GIANts | LANGtREE pARK | sKY spoRts 2 7.45pM
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| 65
7 Days FRIDAY BASEBALL | NEW YORK YANKEES v BOSTON RED SOX | YANKEE STADIUM | ESPN AMERICA 12AM
East coast rivals square up
It’s been a tough season for the Boston Red Sox. They were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays last weekend and sit bottom of the AL East, their squad decimated by injuries. They will be hoping the return of big-name players Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford (above), as well as closer Andrew Bailey, will see their form improve. Although, judging by recent results, there is a lot of work to do.
They travel to New York tonight for a three-game series against the New York Yankees – their biggest rivals, and the side that currently comfortably tops the AL East. Even if the Red Sox can’t catch the Yankees, the additional wildcard spot added this season will mean the battle for post-season action should continue well into September.
On the west coast, the San Francisco Giants host rivals LA Dodgers in a vital series for both teams (Sunday, ESPN America 9.30pm). The Dodgers started this season the better of the two, but the Giants battled back from a six-game deficit and will be determined to make use of their homefield advantage – at the time of going to press, they were 29-16 at home.
FRIDAY FOOTBALL | ARSENAL v MANChESTER CITY | BIRD’S NEST STADIUM, BEIjINg | ESPN 1PM
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images, Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images, Harry How/Getty Images
Football (sort of) returns! Olympic fever might have bitten the nation today, but when it comes to football the next three weeks isn’t all about Team GB (that’s what David Beckham told us, anyway). That’s because the Premier League’s finest (or at least some of them) go head to head this weekend, with the main focus of the first match sitting on his sofa back in north London. Arsenal’s place among the elite has been chipped away over the past few seasons, and the movement of players from the red half of north London to the blue half of Manchester is starting to rankle with Gunners fans. After Emmanuel Adebayor, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri, Kolo Toure and (in a roundabout way) Patrick Vieira all swapped Wenger for victories, Robin van Persie is the latest name on City’s radar. And, while he decides his future, his suitors and his owners are kicking off in China. For City, the van Persie chase appears to be their main transfer focus at the moment – so their current 66 | July 27 2012 |
strike force will find themselves under pressure to perform here today. With Sergio Aguero never likely to face the axe, all eyes will be on Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli. Across the rest of City’s squad, it’s as you were for the men in sky blue, with Micah Richards (playing for Team GB) the only absentee. For Arsenal, it’s a case of preparing for life without their talisman. Jack Wilshere continues to struggle for fitness and Aaron Ramsey is on Olympic duty, so the middle will need a reshuffle, but it’s up front where new boys Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski will attempt to take up RVP’s mantle. Elsewhere, it’s over to America on Saturday, as Liverpool and Tottenham take to the field in Baltimore with both sides under new management (ESPN 6pm). Spurs have been facing transfer sagas of their own, with Luka Modric holding the club to ransom – but Lilywhites fans are nevertheless looking forward to life under Andre Villas-Boas, and the likely debuts of Jan Vertonghen (to replace Ledley King) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (to replace Modric) are both keenly anticipated. Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, meanwhile, face their first public outing, and are likely to line up with Fabio Borini leading the line. On the back of disappointing seasons last time round, both sides will look to flex their muscles. Don’t expect either team to give an inch.
THURSDAY GOLF | WGC-BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL | FIRESTONE CC, OHIO |SKY SPORTS 1 7PM
Can Scott bounce back? Adam Scott needs a pick-me-up right now, and next week’s return to Firestone Country Club in Ohio could be just what the doctor ordered. It was here last year that Scott put in the performance of his life to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He opened with a peerless 62 and never looked like being caught; his weekend 66-65 made sure of that, despite the best efforts of Luke Donald, who tied for second with Rickie Fowler some four shots back. Firestone has long been a course where the best golfers come to life. Since it first hosted the World Series of Golf in 1976, when Jack Nicklaus was the victor, its roll of honour reads like a Who’s Who of the sport. Jose Maria Olazabal shot out the lights here in 1990, with a remarkable 61 that remains one of golf’s greatest rounds, but it is Tiger Woods who has dominated at Firestone in recent years. Since the tournament took on World Golf Championship status in 1999, Woods – now the world number two – has been the champion seven times. If he can only get the ball off the tee – something he struggled so badly with at the Open, despite tying for third – he will approach this week with a spring in his step. Surprisingly quietly, Woods is having the sort of season that most mortals would give their right arm for – and clearly he feels right at home in Ohio. But he’ll have to get past Scott first – there is no better place for the Aussie to shake off the trauma of Royal Lytham.
BEST OF THE REST
FRIDAY
GOLF Senior Open Championship Day 2, Turnberry, Scotland, Sky Sports 3 12pm CRICKET CB40: Netherlands v Gloucestershire, Amstelveen, Sky Sports 2 1.30pm CRICKET West Indies v New Zealand: 1st Test Day 3, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Sky Sports 4 2.55pm AUSSIE RULES Geelong Cats v Adelaide Crows, Eithad Stadium, Melbourne, ESPN 4.30am
SATURDAY RUGBY UNION Super Rugby Semi Final: Chiefs v Crusaders, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, Sky Sports 2 8.30am RUGBY UNION Super Rugby Semi Final: Stormers v Sharks, Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, Sky Sports 2 10.30am
AUSSIE RULES Carlton v Richmond, Melbourne Cricket Ground, ESPN 10.30am
MOTORSPORT Porsche Supercup, Budapest, Hungary, British Eurosport 2 10.45pm
CRICKET CB40: Somerset v Welsh Dragons, County Ground, Sky Sports 2 1.30pm
CRICKET CB40: Lancashire v Gloucestershire, Old Trafford, Sky Sports 2 4.30pm
FOOTBALL MLS: FC Dallas v LA Galaxy, FC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, Texas, ESPN 1am
BASEBALL MLB: Arizona v LA Dodgers, Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles, ESPN 3am
Helly Hansen catwalk
MONDAY
SUNDAY
TUESDAY
AUSSIE RULES St Kilda v Western Bulldogs, Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, ESPN 6am
CRICKET CB40: Derbyshire v Kent, County Ground, Sky Sports 1 4.30pm
CRICKET CB40: Worcestershire v Essex, New Road, Sky Sports 2 1.30pm
CRICKET CB40: Nottinghamshire v Surrey, Trent Bridge, Sky Sports 1 4pm
CRICKET West Indies v New Zealand: 1st Test Day 5, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Sky Sports 4 2.55pm
FOOTBALL MLS: LA Galaxy v Real Madrid, The Home Depot Center, Los Angeles, ESPN 3.30am
GOLF Senior Open Championship Day 4, Turnberry, Scotland, Sky Sports 1 4pm
CRICKET West Indies v New Zealand 2nd Test Day 1, Kingston, Sky Sports 3 3.55pm
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
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Helly Hansen beauty and tHe beast a 26.2 mulit-lap trail maratHon cHallenge for induviduals and teams 22nd september 2012, stonor park, Henley-on-tHames. sign up and join us on tHe Helly Hansen catwalk at www. HellyHansenbeautyandtHebeast.co.uk
Extra time Gadgets
P76 Hear the sound of thunder? Don’t you get too scared – just grab your thunder buddy
Making the most of your time and money
Olympic gadgets Are we allowed to say that? Here’s our pick of top tech to take to that summer event Sport is in no way affiliated with 1
4
2 1. Olympus Super Zoom SZ-31MR Camera
2. Nikon Sportstar EX Binoculars
Packing a massive 24x optical zoom into a compact body, this camera is perfect for capturing the action from afar – whether you’re snapping athletics from the cheap seats in the Olympic Stadium, or ogling the beach volleyball players from the windows of nearby Downing Street, David. £300 | olympus.co.uk
A good pair of binoculars could prove handy, too. This pocketsized pair of peepers are waterproof – ideal for viewing the rain-soaked opening ceremony. Unless it falls so hard that the stadium fills with water, in which case you’ll probably want the official Olympic flotation device. £99 | shop.london2012.com
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3
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3. Samsung Galaxy SIII
4. Canon EOS 7D DSLR
The swanky SIII is perfect for the Games, because as the quad-core smartphone’s slogan tells us, it’s “designed for humans”. And, according to official LOCOG data, more than 90 per cent of tickets have gone to humans. So... who have Samsung been designing products for up till now? Apes? £29 on £33 per month contract | t-mobile.co.uk
The (semi) professional’s choice, this high-end DSLR will give your photos the edge if combined with the right lens. And, in a first for this page, here’s some genuinely useful advice: any camera equipment you take into the park must all fit into a bag no bigger than 30 x 20 x 20cm. £1,450 with 18-135mm EF-S lens | currys.co.uk
5. Panasonic HXDC1EB-W Camcorder Of course, if you get the Canon or Olympus, you could be turned away by a barely trained security guard because sponsors Panasonic have exclusivity in the venues. We’re joking, but this one is seriously good for easy filming of events. Don’t even think about putting them online, though. Or else. £160 | panasonic.co.uk
Competition
Win! Panasonic sports headphones! T o celebrate their partnership with the Olympic Games, Panasonic has teamed up with Sport to give away 100 pairs of their special edition HS200 headphones to lucky readers. Panasonic is the Worldwide Olympic Partner for audio and video, and it shares the passion of the athletes in providing first-class performance. That’s why, to celebrate London 2012, they’ve given each of the 555 Team GB athletes a pair of these special headphones. Thanks to their unique shape, the HS200s stay firmly in the ears and their sweat-resistant design makes them perfect for athletes. The HS200s are joined by three other London 2012
special-edition sets of headphones – giving athletes the widest choice.
For your chance to win your very own pair, just answer the simple question below: Who composed the official song of the London 2012 Olympic Games? A Muse B The Monkees C Metallica
TO enTer, juST Head TO SPOrT-MaGazine.cO.uk/ cOMPeTiTiOnS nOW! competition closes at midnight on Thursday august 2 2012. Full terms and conditions at www.sport-magazine.co.uk
Completely free every Friday. The UK’s top sport magazine The biggest interviews The best previews
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Extra time Lauryn Mark
On your Marks
Picdesk.com
W
ith the Olympics now literally hours away, what better way to celebrate than with a girl, her gun and a mankini? First – the girl. Lauryn Mark is a three-time Commonwealth gold medal-winning women’s skeet shooter ready to represent Australia this summer. She is also one half of the Marks – her husband, Russell Mark, is a double trap Olympic gold (Atlanta 1996) and silver (Sydney 2000) medallist who made headlines recently after complaining that he and his wife were ‘forbidden’ by the Australian Olympic Committee from sharing a room together while competing in London. Second – the gun. Mr Mark is convinced that the AOC’s decision was influenced by Lauryn having posed for the front page of the Australian edition of a popular men’s magazine in a stance not unlike the one you see before you. Except she was wearing a bikini and carrying a gun beneath a slogan that read: ‘Girls with Guns – they go off with a bang’. Third – the mankini. Russell Mark has apparently lost a bet with a teammate, the conditions of which mean he must now wear a mankini at the Games’ opening ceremony. Thank goodness the IOC have cut it short.
70 | July 27 2012 |
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Extra time Kit
99
Life in the fast lane Strap on a pair of these and run like our cover star (disclaimer – lifestyle, talent, training and diet might affect results)
Adidas AdiZero spikes weigh in at just 99g – the equivalent of 22 pieces of A4 paper, if you wondered
1
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1. Adidas AdiZero Prime SP The lightest sprint spike in the world right now, the AdiZero – in red to represent the fire and passion of the Games (apparently) – will be worn by Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake on the track this summer. £212 | sweatshop.co.uk
72 | July 27 2012 |
2. Saucony Shay XC
3. Puma Bolt EvoSpeed
4. Nike Zoom Matumbo
5. Asics Hyper Sprint 4
One for the cross-country fanatics out there – named, as they are, in honour of nine-time All-American longdistance runner Ryan Shay. Lightweight and flexible, the XCs offer extra grip without compromising on comfort over long distances. £54 | prodirectrunning.com
All eyes will be on a certain Jamaican athlete next week – and, with a Jamaican flag on the lacekeeper, the Bolt signature and ‘lightning bolt’ pose on the tongue, and a Puma ‘lightning bolt’ logo, these eight-spike beauties are his footwear of choice. Go Asafa! Wait… £100 | startfitness.co.uk
Nike’s lightest distance spike offers comfort over the longest runs thanks to a foam midsole, Sharkskin heel pad and flywire construction. The left shoe also inverts the colours of the right (above), so you will stand out. Just make sure you’re damn good if you wear them. £56 | prodirectrunning.com
Friends and family coming to watch you compete? These bright numbers – ideal for distances from 100m up to 400m – boast a nylon spike plate, rubber sole and breathable upper. Their colour also means your loved ones can’t miss you, no matter how quickly you cross the line. £39 | prodirectrunning.com
BE INSPIRED go the distance
Nike Miler Tee £19.99 / Run Short £24.99 Flex Run £54.99
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Extra time Grooming THE GOLD RANGE
Medal winners Wind, rain, sandpits, swimming pools and mile after mile of speed and stamina... and that’s just your journey to work. Join this lot on the podium – you’ve earned it
Ole Henriksen skin care You are, it’s said, cheating only yourself if you don’t put the hard yards in. Can you honestly say you are? Ole Henriksen’s Truth Creme can’t, despite its name, help you with that – but it does contain vitamin C to heal and brighten skin. And if you are putting in those yards, the non-greasy Body Comfort Lotion will moisturise and relieve muscle fatigue with peppermint oils. Add a Loofah Body Scrub with mentholated jojoba beads to smooth skin, and a non-drying On The Go gel cleanser, and all that effort seems worthwhile. Available from Harvey Nichols, 020 7235 5000
£52 for 50ml
£31 for 350ml
THE SILVER MOISTURISER RANGE
74 | July 27 2012 |
£21 for 355ml
THE BRONZE RANGE
Champneys High Performance Sports Therapy Champney’s AntiChafing Protective Balm is designed to address one of the most common sports complaints. No, not the design of Team GB’s kit; we’re talking about protecting your skin from discomfort, soreness and blistering with a soothing, non-greasy formula. The Dual Action Face Wash and Energising Face Scrub, meanwhile, will keep your visage as fresh and shiny as Tom Daley’s boyish enthusiasm. boots.com
£31 for 355ml
NGT by Nougat for Men £10 for 200ml
£6.50 for 150ml £7 for 150ml
Were Sport an impressive enough beast to even consider weightlifting, we’d like to think – as we stood with barbell aloft, teeth gritted, clenching places we’d never clenched, every sinew and tendon at breaking point – we’d choose Nougat for Men’s NGT talc as part of our armoury. It’s only right after that effort that we scrub up with the NGT shower gel and shave cream – classily scented with an invigorating grapefruit and cedarwood fragrance. nougatlondon.co.uk £12 for 100g
£12 for 250ml
£15 for 150ml
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Extra time Entertainment
Bear necessities
FILM
Freddy Krueger, Jane Fonda and a pottymouthed teddy. It may sound like a weird dream, but it’s all you need for next week DVD
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
EXHIBITION
Another London Tate Britain London will be swarming with snappers over the Olympic weeks, but they will have to go some to match the photos on display at Tate Britain’s new show. From 1970s punks to effusive newcomers (Ghanaian Mike Eghan is pictured above, having moved to present a talk show for BBC World Service), the exhibition covers capital life from 1930 to 1980 through the eyes of international photographers. Encapsulating grit, glitz and growing diversity, it looks a fascinating journey.
76 | July 27 2012 |
Ted
Seth ‘Family Guy’ MacFarlane dips a furry paw into the film world with this guffaw-inducing buddycomedy with a twist. Namely, Mark Wahlberg has a lonely youth until he wishes his teddy into life. Problems arise later, when he’s in his 30s and his foxy girlfriend Mila Kunis isn’t too impressed by Marky
BLU-RAY
Mark’s furry best pal taking drugs, buying in hookers and generally being a woeful influence. Some of the dialogue via Seth’s obscene Ted – none of which we can print here – is superbly crass. It might descend into a formulaic warm, fuzzy ending, but it’s very funny getting there. Out on Wednesday.
FILM
MUSIC
Barbarella
Ashes Kyla La Grange
Camper than Graham Norton in a tent – but far sexier – Barbarella is the 1960s sci-fi film that falls firmly into the so-bad-it’s-brilliant category. Jane Fonda is almost preposterously beautiful as the space adventurer who battles tyrants (and escapes a machine designed to pleasure her to death).
This singer of exotic heritage with Watford roots does a fine line in breathy, impassioned vocals on her debut album. There’s also a sly wit to her songs, such as Vampire Smile – which is less Twilight, more wanting to bite some annoying chap on the neck. It’s a wee bit angsty; but, backed by some splendid hooks, it’s a bit great too.
Searching For Sugar Man A pair of South Africans go in search of Sixto Rodriguez, a mysterious 1970s folk musician who flopped in the US but whose songs, unbeknown to him, became protest anthems in apartheid South Africa. The minor problem the makers of this awardwinning documentary face is that no one has a clue where he is – or if he’s even alive. A powerful story with some seriously sweet tunes.
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Hulton Archive/Getty Images, James Barnor/Magnum Photos
Old pizzaface is truly a monstrous villain (we mean Freddy Krueger – definitely not Sir Alex). So we’re big fans of this lengthy documentary, which gets under the icky skin of the Nightmare on Elm Street film franchise. Robert Englund, Wes Craven and Alice Cooper all pitch in as the doc covers everything from the choice of Freddy’s jumper to a forgotten Brad Pitt bit-part. It’s the definitive guide to a fantastic teen slasher original and its increasingly cheesy sequels. Out on Monday.