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The 2008 Beijing Olympics is well underway and many a hope for gold has been dashed. Yet things are looking rosy for Britain as Rebecca Adlington has fulfilled a nation’s dream for gold. Adlington is a swimmer who competed in the 400 meter freestyle race. To add icing to the cake, Joanne Jackson got the bronze medal.
Reuters reports:
Adlington conducted what Adrian Moorhouse, who won Britain’s last Olympic swimming title in 1988, called a “smash-and-grab” to snatch the 400 meters freestyle gold which had looked destined for American Katie Hoff.
Adlington’s boldness under pressure on the big occasion made her the first British Olympic swimming champion in 20 years and first women’s gold medalist in nearly half a century when Anita Lonsbrough won the 200 breaststroke at the Rome Games in 1988.
Moorhouse, now working as a television commentator, said: “I’m really proud of her (Adlington). I’m proud of both of them, to be able to watch an Olympic gold medal for Great Britain.”
This is definitely something that every Briton has been looking forward to since the last Olympics. Even those who are not very much into sports are at least following what is going on in Beijing during these several days. I would even dare say that people who may not be normally patriotic or nationalistic are feeling quite proud of their fellow Britons right now. After all, a trip to the Olympics as an athlete is something to proud of already – more so when you get a gold!
Guess who this person is? Here are some clues:
-He is British.
-He is only 23 years old.
-He is well known among motorsports fans.
Any ideas yet? If you are not a fan of motorsports, you may be at a loss right now. Yet even if you didn’t really like this sport, I think that you would at least have an idea what Formula 1 racing is all about, right? Well, Lewis Hamilton is one of the most popular figures in F1 racing right now and he is British.
Some pertinent information on Hamilton:
Name: Lewis Carl Hamilton
DOB: 7th January 1985
Age: 23
Nationality: British
Home town: Tewin Wood, Hertfordshire, England
Place of Birth: Stevenage, UK
Marital Status: Single
Height: 1.74m
Weight: 67kg
Last year, he had the distinction of finishing second at the 2007 Formula One Championship. At his age, this is quite a feat. He currently drives for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team and continues to be at the head of the pack. He is poised to race once again later on today at the French leg of the 2008 race. Even though he has suffered a huge setback due to an accidental collision with Kimi Raikonnen of Team Ferrari in the Canadian leg of the race, Hamilton continues to have a good chance this year.
If you have the time, perhaps you should try and see what this young driver can do. He has been penalised 10 places from the starting position for today’s race and that will prove to be a challenge for him – making the race all the more interesting to watch.
Tennis is one of the major sports in England and has long since been quite as popular in other parts of the world. This year, the biggest event in the world of tennis is about to be witnessed – the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. This tennis tournament has a long and renowned history. In fact, this year’s tournament is already the 132nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships! Running from the 23rd of June to the 6th of July this year, the 2008 Championships will take place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London.
What’s up for this year’s tournament? There are varying events, which include:
• Gentlemen’s Singles (128 player draw)
• Ladies’ Singles (128 draw)
• Gentlemen’s Doubles (64 draw)
• Ladies’ Doubles (64 draw)
• Mixed Doubles (48 draw)• Boys’ Singles (64 draw)
• Boys’ Doubles (32 draw)
• Girls’ Singles (64 draw)
• Girls’ Doubles (32 draw)• Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles (8 pairs Round Robin)
• Senior Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles (8 pairs Round Robin)
• Ladies’ Invitation Doubles (8 pairs Round Robin)
• Gentlemen’s Wheelchair Doubles (4 pairs)
What’s special about Wimbledon? It’s just that Wimbledon is the end all be all of tennis. It is the premier tournament – if you make it to Wimbledon, then you have made it in tennis. This year, some of the notable names that we will be seeing at the tournament include, Federer and Nadal – two of the most known names in tennis today.
Photo courtesy of wallyg
Snooker is one of the most popular sports in England today and has a long and colorful history. It is played by many countries around the world, in particular those who have had British influence in their history. It may sometimes be mistaken as being synonymous with the American billiards but there are marked differences – both in origins and game play.
Just like billiards, the game of snooker is considered to be a cue sport, making use of a table covered with baize. The sport is played using a cue (stick) and 15 red balls and 6 balls of an assortment of colours.
So where did snooker originate from? It is actually a relatively young game – it did not emerge till the late 19th century, when British officers stationed in India devised variations of the game billiards. Actually, the word snooker comes from the military slang which was used to dub inexperienced cadets. It was only in 1927 that snooker became popular, when Joe Davis organised the first World Snooker Championship.
Today, snooker has not gone far from its close relative, billiards. In fact, the governing bodies around the world are usually for both billiards and snooker. The main governing body for professionals is the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, which as founded in 1968. Back then, it was called Professional Billiard Players’ Association. The addition of snooker is a testament to the popularity and lasting value of the younger sport. Today, you can follow various sports events featuring snooker all throughout the UK and even China.
England is known to be a country that is quite passionate on the sports it plays in. Among them, football and rugby are the two most famous sports that draws the attention of all English people, especially when tournaments and events are in season.
Rugby is somehow similar to football where a player would have to go through a gauntlet of players to bring a ball and run from one part of the field to another. Rugby is rough in the sense that tackles and rough play are encountered in it. The objective is to stop an offense from running and penetrating and this includes trying to bring down the player at all costs.
Rugby was believed to be discovered when an Englishman, William Web Ellis, picked up a ball and ran with it during a football match. Rugby union is a sport that is quite famous team sport throughout England and annual competitions such as the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup are held.
[tags]rugby, football, injuries, england, english, rugby union[/tags]
The Rough and Tumble Sport of Football
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Posted on Mar 14, 2007 by Jodie in English Culture, English Life, English Sports, English Traditions, English TravelOne of the more popular sports today is football. While everyone is aware of the American style of football that the National Football League (NFL) offers, England also has its share of wide followers for this game that they consider among their national sports. Football in England is very much followed and since people are very much into the sport, it tends to go out of hand, showing the desire and attachment that people have for the sport.
The English style of football is however in the form of soccer where it is mostly the legs that are used rather than a highly physical American football game similar to rugby, another national sport that England considers. The best football or soccer players are easily born from English nations since people serve this sport as a part of their daily rituals and practices.
The large success of the UEFA Champions league is evidence that England does indeed put premium in it soccer matches such as the World Cup which is composed largely of English nations and some other countries like the United States, Korea, Japan and China.
[tags]rugby, uefa, football, soccer[/tags]
When a person would talk about football, it would immediately point towards the NFL of the Americans. But England has its share of love for the sport, mostly participating in the league that has now been acclaimed worldwide, that of which is the UEFA league. Soccer is a sport that has garnered quite an attention especially when the World Cup takes center stage.
The passion and love for the sport can be seen. In the same way that other sports have been embraced and treated with such animosity, the same holds true for soccer fanatics in England. Truth of the matter is that a lot of the best players are located in this part of the world, something which justifies why most of the best teams are situated in England.
Soccer is also known all over the world as a good sport to follow and watch. But for Englishmen, it is simply more than a sport but a passionate rugged activity that has caught the attention of the world today.
[tags]uefa, soccer, football, england[/tags]
