it’s no secret that i am ridiculously excited about the olympic games coming to my hometown this summer. i’m delighted to have tickets to both the football and the beach volleyball (in horseguards parade – best venue ever don’t you think?) but i am even more ecstatic to have a pair of games tickets to give away to one lucky reader of fabric of my life!
kind games sponsors thomas cook have provided me with an exclusive games break package to give away, including a pair of tickets to the women’s volleyball preliminaries at earl’s court and a night’s accommodation in london. want to win? all you have to do is leave a comment on this post sharing your favourite olympic memory!*
when did you first get caught up in the excitement of the greatest show on earth? have you ever aspired to be an olympian yourself? when were you up on your feet, shouting the most at the tv, urging your competitor on to victory?
my most precious olympic memory combines all three; my first experience of the games was barcelona 1992 (i was 9) screaming for sally gunnell to leap each and every hurdle and surge forward across the finishing line in the lead. nice girls don’t always finish last proclaimed the headlines the next day. all i wanted to be in that moment was an olympic champion just like my hero. her ecstatic victory encouraged me to join my school’s cross country team and compete for my county, even winning a few medals of my own along the way. but, alas, it wasn’t to be…
if you are planning on coming to london during the games did you you can still get your hands on tickets to many of the events through thomas cooks’ games break packages, which start from as little as £99? thomas cook is the only place in the uk where customers can buy guaranteed olympic and paralympic tickets with accommodation during the games.
and if you are in town for the olympic spectacular, and looking for other secret london gems to check out during your stay make sure you visit the thomas cook london 2012 youtube channel for in-the-know recommendations from some of london’s resident bloggers (and watch this space, i’ll be sharing my secret london gem on there shortly…eeek!)
*please click here for the full details, terms and conditions of the competition. the competition closes at 9pm on 16th may 2012 and the winner will be drawn at random and notified shortly after.
89 Responses
Eric Moussambani Malonga from Equatorial Guinea – Sydney 2000. Watching Eric ‘the Eel’ Moussambani Malonga finish the 100m mens freestyle swim in nearly 2 mins made me realise just how much the Olympics are about individual achievement. Yes he swan the race in more than double the time of the winner and slower than the record for the 200m mens freestyle, but he didn’t give up and still set a new personal best and Equatoguinean national record! I will always remember his brave and gutsy swim, whereas I can’t tell you who won that race!
What an amazing prize! I couldn’t resist entering this one. My favourite Olympic memory ever is when Torvill and Dean returned to the Olympics in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. I was nine, adored ice-skating and was totally obsessed with Torvill and Dean!
I was a total amateur ice-skater myself but loved watching the professionals and followed it with a passion that year. Torvill and Dean’s routine to “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” was just so fun and light-hearted but still so technically impressive. I remember sitting on the floor in front of the TV in my mums room, watching everything she’d taped for me and thinking that they were absolutely ROBBED with only a bronze medal! I enjoy lots of the Olympic sports but the ice-skating has always been my favourite: I really think it’s one of the most beautiful things in the world. My mum took me to the Torvill and Dean tour the following year so I got to see the routine in the flesh. It was the best thing ever!
I’m excited that the UK are hosting this year and would love to go and see something – anything at all! Obviously my beloved ice-skating won’t be involved but I am curious about many sports and love the feeling of being in the middle of a big crowd, all rooting for athletes to perform their very best. It’s incredible!
I’ve just watched the T&D routine and I still lovelovelove it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfepV0qzW6g&feature=related
Having grown up around sport, I’ve always loved the Olympics, and always admired all the athletes who make it into the competition. My most memorable Olympics experience to date was cheering Kelly Holmes on (through my tv) as she won the 1500m gold medal in Athens 2004 after already claiming her gold in the 800m earlier that week.
Being a keen runner myslef, I found Kelly to be an inspiration. She started the race off very much at the back of the pack, and seemed to cruise along there until she pulled it out of the bag and really kicked in for the final stretch. She skillfully picked off the other competitors one by one and strided out during her sprint finish to claim her second gold of the 2004 games for team GB.
Seeing her start the race at the back I was a little pesimistic at first; however, seeing her ease in upper the gears created me to be out of my seat cheering her on, alongside my parents. Iv’e always been a beliver in saving a bit of energy for a sprint finish in a run, yet Kellys saving just seemed out of this world.
She has been an absolute inspiration to my runs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAyVaHoX6YM&feature=related
A fan of Volleyball? Want to #win tickets for the women’s prelims @london2012 courtesy of @thomascook2012? Enter here: http://t.co/JF65fp1X
Want to #WIN tickets to @london2012 courtesy of @thomascook2012? Enter here: http://t.co/JF65fp1X < talk about amazing prizes! :)
LOVE the entries to #win @thomascook2012 Games Break so far, fab to hear such lovely Olympic memories! Keep ’em coming! http://t.co/JF65fp1X
my favorite Olympics moment was when there was when zola budd ran in the 1984 3000m final with mary decker. There was so much hype before hand and what happened, Zola Budd ‘tripped’ mary decker up. So many tears. But can anyone remember who won the race?
My favourite Olympic memory ever is when Torvill and Dean did the bolero. I remember sitting and watching this with my Mum in the lounge. She liked watching the Ice Skating but I had just wandered into the room. However even I had to sit and watch it all.
my first olympic memories are from 1976, when I was 7 years old – I remember watching the athletics on a black and white TV and getting really excited!
I loved The moment when Jonathan Edwards got the World record and gold in the triple jump and jumped over 18 metres – nobody quite believed he’d managed it – including him! It was clearly his DAY to excel… I don’t think anyone has beaten his record since!!
I remember 1996, following Roger Black. He won silver in the 400 metre sprint and in the 400 metre relay. It wasn’t gold but it was so close!
Morning, time has flown, since we were awarded the games,as a family we are so excited, it is great for the whole of the U.K, yes there are moans about tickets and work, and disruption, but as a nation we allways pull in one direction.In Lilyhammer, Torvil and Dean, ice skating, stands out, and the Zola Budd , and the trip!, this is a great prize, so thank you, and good luck to the winner, we could not get tickets so will watch on t.v, have a great weekend, and please put me in draw, thanks
When the 4 x 400metre relay team won Gold just ahead of the Americans in Tokyo in 1991, it was a race I will never forget. History in the making!
My first memory is of Daly Thomson winning the Decathlon and the back flip he did in celebration of winning the gold.
Also getting goosebumps after watching Torvil and Dean perform Bolero, at the end of the performance for a second everything was silent and then a huge rush of applause, we were allowed to stay at our local youth club later in order to all watch it.
I would love my son to also have great memories of the Olympics that he can treasure when he is an adult.
We do not have tickets but will be cheering on all the stars, our house will be an mini Olympic zone.
Torvill and Dean’s Olympic gold In Sarajevo, Yugoslavia 1984. I was a young girl and was mesmorized throughout the whole routine. The emotional presence and dramatic music made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was my mams Birthday that day and one neither of us will forget.
mine is recent. i was lucky enough to go to the british gas swimming in the aquatic centre last month. i walked into the centre and just went ‘wow!’ as it’s so big, new and shiny. i just wanted to jump in the pool myself (need a bit more training first!!)
My favourite memory is Linford Christie winning the 100m gold medal in 1992. I know he’s been discredited now, but at the time British Athletes were on top of the world, and this must have been a real motivation to the young people who followed in his footsteps.
I remember watching the 1984 gymnastics competition and seeing Mary Lou Retton getting perfect 10s. I was in our gym squad at primary school and we took part in competitions so I was enthralled with how she did and wanted to copy her.
My favourite Olympic moment was when Eric the Eel swam the 100m freestyle at the Sydney games in 2000. He finished last but embodied the Olympic spirit in a nutshell!
My favourite moment was Steve Redgrave and his teammates winning his fifth gold medal. Watched it with my dad and for once, was able to get as excited about sport as he does. Steve Redgrave is a true Olympian.
Barcelona 1992 – Linford Christie’s gold medal in the men’s 100m. And why do I remember this outstanding sporting achievement? Erm, because my brother had to correct the boy next door who thought his name was ‘Linford Crispy’…
steve redgrave and teammates,a true example of triumph over adversity,an inspiration to all diabetics who try to balance insulin usage with exercise
and finally (it’s a biggie!) – #win a @thomascook2012 Olympic Games Break inc. volleyball tickets and accomodation http://t.co/JF65fp1X WOW
I can remember plotting GB wins on the wall at infant school 50 years ago and have followed the Olympics everytime since. Really long to be there.
Coe V Ovett at the 1980 Olympics.at the time it split the nation.you were either on the side of Seb Coe or Steve Ovett.Coe for me
Greg Louganis, gold diving medal winner at the 1984’s games in Los Angeles… magic!!
My number one favorite Olympic memory is the one where I was there when history was written!
The best Olympic day in the world and I was there! It was durig the Womens Volleyball in London 2012…
o.. wait… it was my best Olympic dream…
Watching Seb Coe at Moscow and LA as a child – who’d have thought he would have had such an impact on the London Olympics!
Too many…Coe v Ovett (Coe fan) in 1980…Redgrave’s fifth gold – won by a cats whisker…Kelly Holmes inching her way to gold with her final strides…Usain Bolt destroying the field in the 100m in 2008, obliterating the world record while slowing down…I’d have to go with Usain: ridiculous performance…
The most memorable and saddest moment for me was when Derek Redmond tore his hamstring at Los Angeles 1984 but was determined to finish – his father helped him to complete the lap. What tremendous spirit in the face of devastation.
Can you edit my previous post – should have been Barcelona 1992 – getting confused with poor Zola Budd
My first Olympic memory with the victory of David Douillet Judo in all categories during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. A wonderful keepsake.
My best Olympic memories are the opening ceremonies! Such excitement and anticipation, I can’t wait for London2012!
Lindford Christie always whether running across the line smiling or scowling when disqualified.barcelona the drama, always remember watching in a spainish bar on hols and hollering the place down. Plus the golden girl sally gunnell and her plaits and shine…
The last Olympics in 2008 was exciting sitting on the sofa with my children cheering on Chris Hoy. I can’t wait for that again. It is so aspiring for the children to watch these world champions excel at their sports. Of course the sofas already booked for the 100m mens final which is always exciting. My son thinks Usain Bolt is amazing.
Would love to take my daughter to the Volleyball if I was lucky enough to win this prize. She loves playing volleyball at school and this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. WOW
I loved watching Tim Brabants winning Britain’s first ever canoeing Olympic gold medal.
my earliest memory of the olympics is watching Daley Thompson competeting in the decathlon. I became a massive fan of him and even bought the computer game, as that was the closest I would get to competeting in the olympics! I still love watching all the track and field events today and Jessica Ennis is my new favourite :)
Daley Thompson winning Olympic gold in the decathlon in 1984. Te greatest al round sportsman we have had
Kelly Holmes coming back from a serious injury to win two Olympic Golds – inspiring stuff
Jonathan Edwards, when he jumped right off the end of the board!
My favourite Olympic Menory is Eddie The Eagle ! In the 1988 Olympics, when he lcame last inthe 70m and 90m events, he taught us its the taking part that counts!
My favourite Olympics moment is a recent one – Ellie Simmonds winning gold at the Paralympics in 2008. The smile on her face was unforgettable!
Barcelona 1992 Linford Christie’s gold medal in the men’s 100metres this was fabulous!
and his lunchbox lol
When Torvill and Dean won – what a performance
Staying up late watching the Atlanta Olympics with my uncle and grandad
I loved watching Olga Korbut’s and Nadia Comaneci as a kid even though i hated doing gymnastics myself !
daley Thompson winning gold
I always remember jonathan edwards breaking the triple jump world record i always wanted to be an athlete and always thought i was good at triple jump so when i played out i pretended i was jonathan edwards doing triple jump
always love watching the horse jumping!
The secondary school I work at had an amazing pupil who represented team GB at the last paralympics as part of the table tennis team. I have never been so excited in my life! We all cheered her on. It was a great feeling of community spirit. She wasn’t able to go very far in the competition but she returned to school a hero anyway. That’s what the olympics are all about to me. It’s the taking part, the striving for perfection and the sense of belonging. We have displays up, we are interested and talking about 2012, some people I know are volunteers for 2012. I will be glued to the TV every possible moment. I wish I could be there. Go Team GB!!!!
I would love to take my mum who celebrates her 80th birthday. She remembers the 1956 Melbourne Olympics just after I was born when GB’s Chris Brasher won the 3000 metre steeplechase – he was disqualified but the decision was reversed and so he won the gold!
Daley Thompson to me represented all that was great about the Olympics when I was fairly young and to watch the ladies Volleyball would be amazing and bring so many happy memories of playing it in the back yard and at college.
Space men, Mohammed Ali lighting the flame and Archers firing to light the flame – the opening ceremony is always my highlight of the Olympics. No medal won yet, the world united together, the greatest show on Earth beginning and 14 days of sport ahead! My favourite opening ceremony is unashamedly the Beijing extraordinarily, eye-wateringly spectacular. Worlds can’t describe so i am not going to try – you will know what I mean if you saw it!
I remember watching Sebastian Coe (now Lord Coe) winning his medal – a very successful year for the GB team – lots of amazing performances. I would love to be a part of London 2012.
Denise Lewis winning the heptathlon gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 really caught my imagination. I watched in amazement to see someone who was so outstanding in seven different disciplines! From then on I was hooked on the olympics!
Linford Christie winning the gold in the 100m at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It was magic!
I’m excited too! You may have most of the games there in London but we’ve got Olympic footie in Coventry and I’m going to be a volunteer ambassador for the city, helping to steer visitors to the stadium on football days. Can;t wait ;-)
My favourite olympic memory is of Olga Korbut at the 1972 games. She was a complete breath of fresh air. All the other competitors were straight laced and didn’t crack a smile, then this tiny little gymnast came on, grinning from ear to ear when she did well and crying when she fell. She had me glued to the TV and I’ve loved watching gymnastics ever since.
i remember the 2004 summer olympics in Athens where Dame Kelly Holmes won the 800 and 1500 metre events-the double. It was a truly fantastic memorable occasion which i was pleased to have witnessed-she’s such a great athelete.
Linford christie winning the 100m
Steve Redgrace winning 5 golds
My favourite Olympic moment of all time was watching Olga Korbut as an elfin faced Gymnast winning gold, pure magic!
I remember crying when I thought Daley Thompson had not won the Gold in the 84 olympics.. I was 3 at the time but I remember us all sitting in the living room watching and me running to my room in tears .. He did win though :)
I live in Sheffield, and use the international sports venues there- and once saw Jessica Ennis training at one! It’s my fave memory as I think she’s really fab- a normal girl who can become a world class athlete, and look good doing it! I’ll be cheering her on this year for sure :)
I wanted to be Olga Korbet, during the 70’s she influenced me so much, I jumped off the sofa and chipped my jaw bone! She was a legend!
That 100m final in Seoul in 1988 when Ben Johnson cheated!
and finally: enter before 9pm to win an Olympic Games Break courtesy of @thomascook2012 inc womens volleyball tickets, http://t.co/JF65fp1X
Daley Thompson, 1984 & sunny exciting Los Angeles for me. Seemed nothing was impossible to me then at 16 !!!! Just left school too, Happy Days indeed !!!
I’ve watched loads of Olympics over the years but never been lucky enough to go in person. My worst memory was the murder of those Israeli athletes in Munich, how little did we know then about what was to come in future years. My best was watching Sir Steve Redgrave winning five olympic golds in five successive games, for so long the Brits had always been the ‘gallant losers’,
Stephen Redgrave winning his 5th Olympic Gold Medal
In 1984 wanting to be as talented as Daley Thompson who seemed to be good at just about anything! Being a podgy flatfooted 8yr old didnt work in my favour though…although in later yrs I did get to be in the school athletics team… throwing the shot putt!
I was lucky enough to go to the Atlanta Games as I was living in Alabama at the time. I went to the 3-day event to see the team cross country in the morning and the individual dressage in the afternoon. History shows us some of the organisation in Atlanta was not the best – certainly true for the event I saw as they had not made plans for people to get lunch in between the two parts of the event. The result was over 10,000 people stuck in a car park in an Atlanta suburb in >100 degree heat with no shelter. Luckily we were all rescued by the American Red Cross who came with emergency food and water supplies!
i used to love watching fatima whitbread and daley thompson while growing up. i used to be on tenterhooks to see how many gold medals we could get
michael phelps winning ridiculous quantities of medals and then wearing them all at the same time has to be my favourite memory.
My most memorable Olympic games moments are of Olga Korbut winning the gymnastics in the 70’s and of course Torvill and Dean winning with Bolero! I also loved seeing Steve Redgrave win his 5th successive gold.
In my second year of my Phys. Ed. degree, my mom (who was born in 1948) revealed that her dad had missed her birth. When I asked why, she said it was because he was an Olympic coach for the first Jamaican Olympic Contingent. and was overseas in GB. My best memory was opening up the London 1948 olympic program she had kept for 60 years and seeing my late grandfather’s picture as a coach of Arthur Wint and Herb McKinley, medalists for Jamaica. His olympic passport is also something I treasure. 2012 mean a lot to me. I have saved the money for a plane ticket, but I can’t afford the events…
My favourite Olympic memory is when Steve Regrave won his 5th medal at the 2000 games.
we best memories are watching the Beijing opening ceremony on a massive tv screen in an old palace in Beijing with 10 former Olympians!!
My favourite moment is Daley Thompson winning Gold.. recreating on the Spectrum $8k just wasn’t the same!
The first ever Olympics I was aware of was the Mexico City Olympic Games when Bob Beamon broke the long jump record by a mile and which subsequently stood for many years before being bettered. He seemed to be all legs!
My favorite olympic memory has to be the spectacular sydney games in 2000. I was desperate to go but could not afford it! I spent the entire holiday watching mostly at unearthly hours some of the best sport ever. Who could forget thoughthe fantastic opening ceremony with cathy freeman standing in the waterfall and the the olympic fame rising around her. Breathtaking!!! Not forgetting Sir steve redgraves brilliant gold medal performance. Cant wait for London!!!
100m final Seoul 1988, an investigation proved Ben Johnson cheated
I was on holiday as a child in Cyprus during the 1980 Olympics but we listened to it all on the car radio (guess it must have been world service). Hearing Coe and Ovett win their races was incredibly exciting.
My favourite memory has to be the Beijing Opening ceremony…would love to be a part of London 2012…it would be fab to see the volleyball!
Sarah Stevenson winning a bronze medal for taekwondo her headshot did not count first of all then went to video evidence it was quite clear she did get one she was then awarded the points and received a bronze medal for Great Britian my 13yr old son was shouting at the tv and hopes to be in the 2020 games for taekwondo come on team GB!!
my favourite olympics memory is christine ohuruogu winning the 400m in 2008 beating the great Sanya Richards in the 400m. Already got my holidays booked at work so I can watch all the action. Would love to see her win it again in London
Favourite Olympic memory is the gb men’s hockey team winning gold in 1988….amazing celebrations, totally unexpected, fantastic. :-)
Wow, what an amazing giveaway! I remember watching the basketball games in 1992 with an all-star team that included the magnificent Michael Jordan. As a native Chicagoan, watching the former Chicago Bulls player slam dunking the country to gold was an immense source of pride.
My best memory is Denise Lewis winning in Sydney
My favourite Olympic memory was the GB Team performance in Beijing culminating in the arrival of the flight home being televised live by the BBC. It seemed that we were winning medals by the hour and it was a great pre-cursor to what is sure to be a memorable event this summer