Londoners turned out en masse today to celebrate Great Britain’s more than 500 Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Gold Medalists Chris Hoy (cycling), Rebecca Adlington (swimming), and Victoria Pendleton (track cycling) were among those featured on the 12 floats that snaked their way through the downtown streets.

Great Britain earned 47 Medals in the Olympic Games, including 12 Golds. It was their best showing more than 100 years. The GB team earned 102 medals at the Paralympic Games, finished second in the medal tally to host nation, China.

London is the site of the next Summer Olympic Games, which begin on August 29, 2012.

^{(photo of the British Olympic and Paralympic swim team © Newscom)}

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London Celebrates Olympians

China’s athletes earned more than twice the number of Medals than Great Britain, who ended the Paralympic Games in second place in the Medal count. Chinese athletes, including runner Li Yansong pictured above, were awarded a total of 211 Medals (89 Gold, 70 Silver, and 52 Bronze). Great Britain earned a total of 102 (42 Gold, 29 Silver, and 31 Bronze). The United States ended the Games with 99 Medals and Ukraine was fourth with 74 total Medals. Canada was awarded 50 Medals, putting them in seventh place overall.

^{(photo © Newscom)}

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China Tops Paralympic Medal Chart

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Britain’s Coxless Four Rowing Team

^{(photo of Singh and Kumar © Newscom)}

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Beijing Olympians Arrive Back Home

Andrey Moiseev of Russia won the Gold Medal in the men’s modern pentathlon competition. That’s the five-event content, which includes epee fencing, pistol shooting, a 200m freestyle swim, show jumping, and a 3km cross-country run. The event was added to the Olympics in 1912. It is designed to mirror the skills needed for a soldier behind enemy lines.

Edvinas Krungolcas of Lithuania took the Silver Medal and his countryman, Andrejus Zadneprovskis earned the Bronze Medal.

In the men’s 50km walk, Italy’s Alex Schwazer earned the Gold Medal, setting a new Olympic record of 3:37:09. He was followed by Jared Tallent of Australia for the Silver Medal and Denis Nizhegorodov of Russia for the Bronze Medal.

In the women’s 200m event, Veronica Campbell-Brown continued Jamaica’s dominance of the Olympic sprinting events. Following her lead across the finish line were Allyson Felix of the United States for the Silver Medal and Kerron Stewart of Jamaica for the Bronze Medal. Campbell-Brown’s win completed the Jamaica’s sweep of all four of the mens and womens sprinting events.

In the infield, Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic earned the Gold Medal in the Javelin throw. Maria Abakumova of Russia took the Silver Medal and Christina Obergfall of Germany earned the Bronze.

Portugal’s Nelson Evora won the Gold Medal in the mens triple jump, besting Howard Idowu of Great Britain, who won the Silver Medal, and Leevan Sands of the Bahamas, who earned the Bronze Medal.

The United States swept the mens 400m event, with LaShawn Merritt leading the field for the Gold Medal. He was followed by Jeremy Wariner, the defending Olympic champion, for the Silver Medal and David Neville for the Bronze.

In the mens 100m hurdles, Cuba’s Dayron Robles easily bested the field, winning the Gold Medal. David Payne of the United States took the Silver Medal and David Oliver, also of the United States, earned the Bronze Medal.

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Scenes from the Bird’s Nest – August 21

It was a Dutchman, Maarten van der Weijden, that finished first for the Gold Medal on Thursday in the first ever 10k swimming marathon, despite Great Britain’s David Davies leading for most of the race. Davies and Bronze Medalist, Thomas Lurz of Germany both drifted to the outside at the finish, allowing van der Weijden to win the race.

Van der Weijden’s victory is even more surprising since he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001 and struggled with it through 2003, before being regaining his health and returning to swimming.

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Van der Weijden Wins First Olympic Men’s 10k Swimming Event

The USA men’s 4×100m relay team was eliminated during a qualifying round on Thursday when they dropped the baton during the hand-out between Darvis Patton (third leg) and Tyson Gay (anchor). This is the end of a disappointing Olympics for Tyson Gay, who was expected to be one of the stars of the Games. Gay failed to qualify for the men’s 200m event at the US Olympic trials in July after suffering a hamstring injury. Earlier in the Olympics, he failed to qualify for the finals in the men’s 100m event and now the baton incident.

Great Britain, the defending Olympic champion in this event was also disqualified, for passing the baton outside of the zone.

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US Men Disqualified in 4×100m Relay

Jamaica’s Melaine Walker won the Gold Medal in the women’s 400m hurdles event. Sheena Johnson of the United States took the Silver Medal and Tasha Danvers of Great Britain earned the Bronze.

In the women’s 20 km walk, Russia’s Olga Kaniskina prevailed in the rainy Beijing weather to win the Gold Medal, setting a new Olympic record of 1:26:31. Kjersti Tysse Platzer of Norway won the Silver Medal and Elisa Rigaudo of Italy took the Bronze Medal.

Aksana Miankova of Belarus won the women’s hammer throw competition, setting a new Olympic record of 76.34. The Silver Medal went to Yipsi Moreno of Cuba and Zhang Wenxiu of China earned the Bronze Medal.

^{(photo of Melaine Walker © Newscom)}

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Scenes from the Bird’s Nest – August 20

Russia’s Larisa Ilchenko won the women’s 10km swimming marathon in the event’s Olympic debut. She finished the race in 1hr 59:27.7. Great Britain’s Keri-Anne Payne took the Silver Medal and her countryman, Cassandra Patten took the Bronze Medal.

Natalie du Toit of South Africa, the only woman to qualify for both the Olympics and the Paralympics, finished 16th. du Toit, who lost her left leg in a motor scooter accident swam without her prosthetic leg.

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Russian Wins in Open Water Debut

In the women’s 100m hurdles, Dawn Harper of the United States won the Gold Medal, followed by Sally McLellan of Australia for the Silver Medal and Canada’s Priscilla Lopes-Schliep for the Bronze. Favorite and two-time indoor champion, Lolo Jones of the United States led the race before stumbling on the 9th hurdle. She ended up finishing seventh.

There was similar drama in the women’s 400m event. Great Britain’s Christine Ohurogu won the Gold Medal, followed by Shericka Williams of Jamaica for the Silver. Sanya Richards of the United States, favorited to win the race, pulled up with a tight hamstring muscle near the end of the race and finished third for the Bronze Medal.

In the men’s 1500m race, Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain took the Gold Medal, followed by Asbel Kipruto of Kenya for the Silver Medal and Nicholas Willis of New Zealand for the Bronze Medal. Ramzi’s win gives the Mideast nation of Bahrain its first ever Gold Medal in track and field.

In the men’s discus event, it was an Eastern European sweep. Estonia’s Gerd Kanter won the Gold Medal. Piotr Malachowski of Poland earned the Silver and Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania took the Bronze Medal.

Finally, in the men’s high jump, Andrey Silnov of Russia won the Gold Medal. Germaine Mason of Great Britain took the Silver Medal and Yaroslav Rybakov of Russia earned the Bronze.

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Scenes from the Bird’s Nest – August 19