OK, after 7 years, bags of scepticism and ambivalence over the past few days, i got struck by Olympic fever today. Yes I'm looking forward to it.
I can't believe it was 7 years ago that London got the vote. Lots has happened in 7 years. I'm not going to bore you with what, but we've had around 8 recessions, a war (if you can include Afghanistan as a proper war), Woolworth's has shut down, Twitter has been invented, 3 prime ministers, 2 relationships, 7 more sober years, 2,100 wanks and several dodgy haircuts. It's all been going on.
The Olympics has always been something that's happened on tellie. In someone Else's country. My first time i was aware of it, was in 1980 for the Moscow Olympics, i was 8 and i remember Big Alan Wells winning the 100m and the great rivalry between Coe/Ovett.
Then it was Los Angeles in 1984 and Daley Thompson was the man. I was 12 and sport crazy so i loved watching it. You can't help but be inspired, especially when watching the archery. Not.
Then to Seoul 1988. I was 16 and my pal Philip Brewerton had a party and there was loads of booze and 16 year old virgins. An Olympic mix. I remember watching the famous 100m when Ben Johnson won by streaks but had as many drugs in him as Keith Richards. Classic.
We moved onto 1992, Barcelona. I was at University and taking more drugs than Ben Johnson and doing Olympic drinking, my memories are hazy. I think that's when Sally Gunnel won gold and i remember looking up the word 'tranny' after she won.
1996 was Atlanta, and i wondered why the fuck the Yanks got another Olympics within 12 years of the last. Greedy sods. I remember GB being toss and only the rowers being world class. Linford was disqualified from the 100m for being so high on steroids he false started twice. I was drunk and remember watching an old school mate Mark Richardson, coming in 7th in the 400m heat and criticising him whilst i was pissed and 16 stone in my armchair. #twat
2000 was Sydney and roundly considered the best games, but then again the Aussies consider themselves the best at everything, even Shane Warne has managed to make himself look the best knob head in the world. Main memory of the Games is being high on coke and booze at a friends house in Ealing, watching Redgrave, Pinsent, Cracknell and the other bloke get gold in the rowing at 4am. All of us screaming at the box and celebrating whilst off our faces. It shows the true magnitude of the Olympics, all screaming at a sport we couldn't give a fuck about at 4am. The fact we were buggered watching high class athletes and scremaing advice lends a cute irony.
2004, i was sober by then thank fuck. Athens. I was by now noticing other sports like Cycling, Rowing, Marathon, triathlon as basically GB were becoming bollocks on the track. Though there is a real glamour and pull to big Athletic track events. It was a decent games but not particularly memorable, but it was Nice to be actually participating in sport rather than criticising athletes whilst fat and pissed. That's called looking down on people from the gutter.
Then to Beijing, 2008, i was sober and happy. It was a fantastic games. Usian Bolt and Chicken nuggets where his performance made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, as you witnessed something special. The GB cycling team were just awesome, swimmers & rowers looked pretty decent and even the track shone, with Kelly Holmes emerging as the star. It was a top games and provided a perfect backdrop to the summer.
It's on TV all the time, in the morning, you become interested in sports you really couldn't give a toss about and you feel part of a global event that is so huge, so captivating. It's easy to become cynical, of the money spent, the location, the games lanes, the dignitaries, the bribery, the commercial sponsorship and 'nanny' state. But it's fucking huge, it's here. It's in London and it's tomorrow.
I'm getting fired up for the Olympic road race on Saturday which passes near my house and the female road race, the time trial, the triathlon and marathons. All the free events you can go and see and the ones i actually participate in.
In all the Olympics, it felt good to train for the marathon and to run past an Olympic Gold medalist, James Cracknell in Richmond Park. I'm in a much better place than i was a few years ago.
I've run 5 London marathons and the crowds are just phenomenal. Mind blowing support so god knows how the athletes will feel in their events. It acts as an extra stimulant, performance should increase and it will be an unforgettable experience for them #jealous
So readers, I'm throwing off my cynical head and I'm embracing the games. I'm looking forward to them and will try to get along to see as much of it as i can. After all the next time the Games comes to London I'll be 165 years old and my nuts will be dragging on the ground by then. I may even possibly be dead.
Viva 2012, though just to keep in line with my cynical ranting head, for fucks sake who the fuck in the marketing department came up with Team GB? It's GB. We are a nation. Fucking marketing people, makes you sick. They should stick to fucking stationary
Go for Gold GB, there are Poppers called Gold so you can always have a snort on them to get you pumped
xx
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