Michael Phelps or Jessica Ennis? It was a hard decision, but made easy in the end with no tickets available for the swimming venue.
“A gold for Jess will make it a night to remember,” said a British fan draped in the Union Jack as we lined up to enter the Olympic Stadium on Saturday night.
An hour later, the crowd went home with much more than they had asked for — or even expected. Great Britain had picked three track and field gold medals that night, and that too within an hour.
It all started with their darling, Jessica. The nation had wept along with her, when a triple stress fracture on the foot had ruled out the hepthathlete out of the 2008 Beijing Games.
At the 2012 Games, hers is the first image that strikes on arrival in London. “Welcome to our turf,” reads a 173-foot high artwork of her on the Heathrow Airport flight path, depicting the country’s belief in one of its most popular stars.
Canadian heptathlete Jessica Zelinka joked as she reached London, “Kinda feel like I’m living in a Jessica Ennis theme park.”
On Saturday, the girl who has been the face of the London Games, lived up to it all. “Go Jess,” read most of the placards and off she went, flying down the track. Her final bend during the 800 metre race had the crowd on its feet. Tears flowed as she snatched the national flag and ran around in excitement. She was “England’s queen” for the night.
Britain now wanted more. Greg Rutherford made it two by clinching the long jump gold, while Mo Farah was met with vociferous applause as he sprinted past his Ethiopian and Kenyan opponents, for the 10,000 metres gold.
The sight of Farah banging on his head with both hands, and daughter Rihanna and heavily pregnant wife Tania, rushing to him to celebrate made it ane emotional moment.
The singing and dancing continued as Londoners queued up to return home after a night of celebration.
The talk inevitably turned to Usain Bolt and the 100 men’s metres final that would follow in 24 hours.
Time to gear up for another sensational night!