Almost unbelievably, it has been a whole year to the day since the opening ceremony at Stratford?s Olympic Stadium and the start of London 2012.
After sitting down pondering where the time goes, Metro?s sport reporters put our heads together to pick out our favourite moments from an incredible summer of sport in the capital.
From the more obvious to some of the forgotten moments, here is the first of two installments recapping the best bits from 12 months ago.
Don?t forget to let us know your London 2012 highlights ? whether you were a spectator at an event, jumping up and down in front of the television or even one of the tens of thousands of incredible Games Makers, we want to hear your memories.
Dave Gurney
?Early on the first day of the athletics programme, something special happened. As a demonstration of the excitement generated by the Games for those watching, and of a competitor rising to the greatest of occasions, it would be hard to beat.
?The roar that greeted the name ?Jessica Ennis? being announced as she lined up for the 100metres hurdles was deafening, as a packed house ? for a morning athletics session at an Olympics, this in itself was close to unprecedented ? showed just what the heptathlon star and London 2012 meant to them.
?The expectation surrounding the Briton was extraordinary. She shouldered the incredible burden of being the face of a home Games and the firmest of favourites to win. Who could cope with that kind of pressure?
?As it turned out, Ennis could. She put down an emphatic marker that morning, a devastating statement of intent, as she stormed home in 12.54 seconds ? a time that shattered the British hurdles record, and would have been good enough to win gold in the individual event at the Beijing Games.
?There may have been the best part of two days of competition to go but anyone who witnessed Ennis that day knew it was already over.?
Nick Metcalfe
?I have so many wonderful memories of the London Games, but the most bizarre probably came on the opening Saturday when I found myself on the main road running through West Byfleet watching the men?s road race cyclists, Mark Cavendish and all, in action.
?I never thought I?d be seeing sport?s greatest show in the Surrey village in which I grew up.
?I couldn?t help but think of where I was for my second live event at the Beijing Games four years earlier, in Tiananmen Square for the women?s marathon.
?Somehow, standing near the big Waitrose in the middle of West Byfleet didn?t have quite the same iconic feel.?
Hannah Duncan
?Four words ? ?Good evening Mr Bond.?
?What a way to kick start a scintillating two weeks of sport in a (mostly) gloriously sunny London, with unprecedented success for Team GB.
?We all watched the Opening Ceremony in awe. Maybe, despite the security farce and typically British worries, we might ? might ? just pull this one off. And it all started on that first night at the Olympic Stadium.
?As the cameras dodged the corgis and zoomed in on the back of Her Majesty, few watching would believe it actually would be the Queen on screen as she turned round to address Daniel Craig. But those four simple words proved to be one of the best moments of 2012 British television, (sadly, she didn?t really jump out of the helicopter).
?And sure there were many spectacular sporting moments last summer, all of which would eclipse the Queen?s moment in the spotlight, not least two of my favourites ? Gemma Gibbons? tearful ?I love you mum? as she reached the judo final and Jade Jones? stunning success in the taekwondo. But ?Good evening Mr Bond? certainly set the tone for the brilliant two weeks ahead.?
Massimo Marioni
?The world waited with baited breath as Michael Phelps stood on the verge of Olympic history.
?The American was two medals away from becoming the most decorated athlete ever, but a relatively unheralded 20-year-old from South Africa was here to spoil the party.
?With Phelps having won the previous two gold medals in the 200m butterfly, the 27-year-old was odds-on favourite to claim another, and add a record-equalling 18th Olympic honour to his bulging trophy cabinet.
?It looked like another walk in the park until Chad Le Clos powered up from behind to touch the wall in one minute 52.96 seconds, just 0.05secs ahead of Phelps.
?The emotion on the youngster?s face, having just beaten his hero and the best swimmer of all time to Olympic gold, was one to truly savour ? and his dad?s post-race interview, absolutely overcome and beaming with pride, brought a tear to the eye and highlighted every glorious about the London Games.?
Dave Filmer
?More than the sight of Mo Farah kicking his way to 5,000metres glory, I?ll always remember the noise.
?The wall of sound which greeted him as he added a second gold after his 10,000m triumph was incredible ? just thinking about that night makes the hairs on the back of my neck tingle.
?For as long as I live, I?ll remember the noise, the elation and ? later ? watching our man Mo trading celebrations with sprint god Usain Bolt. I?m under no illusions as to how lucky I was to be there on the final night of athletics.
?I?ve also vivid memories of being one of 80,000 people happily doing the Mobot at a Blur gig in Hyde Park 24 hours later which somehow seemed a perfectly fitting climax to a sensational Games.?
Jamie Sanderson
?One of the key qualities the Olympians showed at London 2012 was their humility. While cocky footballers scoop barrel loads of cash for doing little, the stars of the Games showed class and dignity while claiming super human achievements.
?Few summed it up better than Venezuelan?Ruben Limardo, who took gold in the fencing. The little known star didn?t celebrate with an extravagant celebration or a parade ? instead he calmly took his gold back to the Olympic village on the tube, much to the delight of commuters. Class act.?
Source: http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/27/metro-sports-london-2012-olympics-the-best-bits-part-one-3900752/
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