Four excellent reasons for thinking about going to London 2012, based on my experience at Beijing 2008:

1. 1.Gold is Gold. Watching someone win a Gold - any Gold - is a special experience. I knew nothing about fencing when I went to see Mariel Zagunis win the USA’s first Beijing Gold in the Women’s Individual Sabre.  It was a gripping spectacle of superb skill.
   

2. 2.Nobody Does It Better. How often are you in a room with the two or three best people in the world in their discipline? This is an extraordinary fact to consider. It’s very likely there is no one else on the planet (bar the injured and the banned) who are better at sprinting, shooting, swimming, or whatever it might be, than the precious few individuals straining every sinew in front of you.

   

   
   

3. 3.The Moment. And for those special people, the stakes will never be higher than at the Olympic final of their event. The margin between success and failure, between achieving sporting immortality and sinking back into mediocrity, is wafer thin. It can twist and turn on the faintest breath of wind.
   

4. 4.Pride. I learned at the Olympics is that national fans can be great fun. This is something of a shock to those of us brought on the mindless hooliganism and hateful nationalism of British soccer. Needless to say, the pride and the passion of the Chinese fans was a sight to behold. My personal favourites were the South Koreans (below), who seemed to have at least an hour of complicated routines worthy of a West End musical.

   

   
   

Men’s Team Archery

It was the Koreans who squared up to Italy in the Gold Medal match. The Italians had their moment to win, but flunked it almost with the last shot - demonstrating just how slim that margin between success and failure really is.

The Koreans (above) kept their nerves to secure a thrilling victory.

Local Hero

What can one say about Yang Wei (above), Chinese Gymnastics superstar and winner of the Men's Individual All-Around event? This picture says it all: his solo Gold was a procession rather than a competition. He’s saying: I am The Best and no one can touch me. The Chinese fans adored him, not just because he was an outstanding winner, but also because he seemed like a very decent guy, who was happier winning the Men’s Team event than he was becoming the Individual champion. His athletic grace and precision were unforgettable.

We Won!

Cheng Fei clinches the Women’s Team event for China

We witnessed one of the most controversial and gripping events - the Women’s Team event in Artistic Gymnastics. The Americans, led by blonde bombshell Nastia Luikin, were the favourites. But the tiny Chinese team clung on, and took advantage when two of the US team flunked the floor exercises by falling outside the line. The Chinese, team and crowd, were as ecstatic about their win as the Americans were devastated by coming second. Then the nasty stuff began. Certain members of the US backroom staff suggested that some of the Chinese team were underage. The whole saga dragged on for months until the winners were cleared. I don’t know how old these girls really were, but it’s clear that Asian teenagers look younger (and smaller) than their western counterparts. The Japanese team looked even more diminutive than the Chinese - but we didn’t hear any stories about them.

Liukin’s Revenge

Ms Liukin of the USA (although pure Russian parentage) was clearly a fabulous gymnast who deserved some success - and she duly won it in the Women's Individual All-Around Final, beating fellow American Shawn Johnson (left) and China’s Yang Yilin (right).

Team China

Despite watching China win numerous Gold medals, there was no doubt which event inspired the most national fervour: China vs USA Basketball. It was only a heat, but the arena was bursting with pride when Yao Ming led out the Red Team, watched by two US Presidents - Bush Elder and Younger. Unfortunately, after a spirited start, the Chinese were hammered by Kobe Bryant et al. The Houston Rockets star was devastated.

A Night at the Bird’s Nest

We had an incredible two nights watching Athletics at the Bird’s Nest, with even relatively mundane events like the 1500m heats providing a great sporting spectacle. The BN lived up to every expectation as one of the world’s finest arenas. But we were not at all prepared for the incredible story of the second evening, when Usain Bolt of Jamaica shot ahead of the pack in the Men’s 100m Final, before easing up and still winning the Gold Medal AND breaking the World Record. He came hopping round the track to where we were sitting, hugged a few people he knew, and then played it up for the cameras (below). At the age of just 21, he will be in his prime for London 2012, and I can’t wait to see him again. I suspect it might be a little more difficult to get the tickets next time.

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