Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich Wins Men's Marathon

Mike Groll/AP

For the first time in modern Olympic marathon history, Uganda claimed gold in the Men's Marathon Sunday. With a little over three miles to the finish line, Stephen Kiprotich surged ahead of two  better known Kenyans, Abel Kirui and Wilson Kiprotich Kipsang and remained in the lead for the remainder of the course. He finished with a time of two hours, one second and waved the Ugandan flag in jubilation for his accomplishment.

During an interview, he told the reporter, "I made history with my people.They didn't expect me to win. I was keeping behind them, keeping the fire burning. When they go, they thought they'd left me, but I was there. I kept in touch. Later, I said, 'I believe in myself.' Then, I made my move."

And what a move that was! Kirui and Kipsang drew nearer in the final few minutes, but they couldn't catch Kiprotich.

Rather than following the traditional path for laying the marathon course, the 2012 Olympic competitors followed a route that took them to many of London's most famous sights: Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, London Bridge and the Tower of London. The finish line was drawn in an area near Buckingham Palace, a fitting ending to a magnificent show of endurance.

Ham on Wry loves reporting on underdogs who create surprise endings. Congratulations to Stephen Kiprotich and his home country of Uganda.



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Usain Bolt Seals the Deal in the 400 Meter Relay

AAP Photo

Usain Bolt won his third gold medal Saturday when he led the Jamaican men's 4x100m relay team to win in a world record time of 36.85seconds. Yohan Blake, Nesta Carter and Michael Frater celebrated their victory along with Bolt and established themselves as Jamaica's ambassadors of speed.








Jamaican 4x100 Relay Team/Getty Images



Bolt deferred to his teammates, allowing them to express their joy in winning the gold medal. He then opined, "It was a wonderful feeling to end on a high note. It was a great championships, I'm happy, the team came out and gave it their all. I wish we could have gone faster,but we leave room for improvement." Not one to hold back on touting his superior performance at the London Olympics, he has earned the right to show his pride. His impressive accomplishments have made his name globally recognized.

What's next for Bolt?  He alluded to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, but he recognizes that younger runners might overtake him by then. Ham on Wry honors his dominance on the track at the London Olympics and his perseverance in reaching this level of performance.




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Gabby Douglas Win Gymnastic All-Around Gold

AP

Gabrielle (Gabby) Douglas outshone all the other competitors today to claim the Women's Gymnastics All-Around competition's Gold Medal. Seen above in what is deemed her best sport, she appears to float aloft above the balance beam with a combination of grace and precision. That might explain her nickname, "the flying squirrel." Her final score, 62.232, topped Russian silver medalist Victoria Komova's score of 61.973 by almost three-tenths of a point. Komova collapsed in tears when she saw the posted scores.

Josh Haner, New York Times

Gabby, the first woman of color to win all-around gold, flashed her signature smile as she performed a floor exercise that brought the spectators to their feet roaring approval. Aliya Mustafina and Aly Raisman finished with identical scores of 59.566, but the Russian got the bronze on a tiebreak. New rules created in June required judges to drop the lowest scores for both gymnasts and total the remaining three, which gave Mustafina a total of 45.933 and Raisman 45.366.

Douglas, whose family lives in Virginia Beach, moved to West Des Moines, Iowa two years ago to train with Liang Chow, who coached Shawn Johnson in 2008. Her mother nixed the idea of a 14-year-old moving away from home, but Douglas eventually prevailed with the help of her sisters. Her mom, Natalie Hawkins, can count herself lucky that she lost that battle. Her daughter has won global fame, and the United States can take pride in her accomplishments as well as those of the entire women's gymnastics team. 

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Fab Five Win Gold in Gymnastics

AFP

The "Fab Five" lived  up to all the pre-Olympics hype, scoring a full five points higher than the second place winners, Russia. The last time the women's gymnastics team won gold occurred during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and McKayla Maroney and Jordan Wieber dominated from the beginning and held the lead throughout. Jordan Wieber performed a flawless floor exercise demonstrating the soul of a true competitor, after failing to qualify in the all-around finals last week-end and proving why she is the reigning world champion.

Gregory Bull/AP

Ham on Wry holds all of these teens in awe for their remarkable dedication, determination and focus throughout. Their smiles and the medals draped around their necks tell the story without words. Congratulations to all!

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Americans Win Gold in Men's and Women's 100-Meter Backstroke

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Missy Franklin earned her first gold of the London Olympics for the 100-meter backstroke, recovering quickly from her semi-final heat 14 minutes previously. Calling her reaction, "Indescribable," the 17-year-old beamed as the realization hit her full force. Ham on Wry has seen her interviewed several times, and her down-to-earth attitude and winning smile reveal a person who has a handle on what it takes to succeed in the swimming pool and in life.







 

The 100-meter backstroke offered two more medals in the men's finals when Matt Grevers won the race and the gold medal signifying his accomplishment. Grevers, a native of Illinois, swam in the Beijing Olympics four years ago and took home a silver medal. This time, Nick Thoman won the silver medal, finishing close behind his teammate. Grevers commented, "I feel incredible. It was something I wanted since I was 10 years old."



Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images



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