London 2012 Olympics: Lawrence Okoye improves British discus record - The Guardian
Lawrence Okoye has broken his British discus record at the Halle Throws International in Germany. The 20-year-old, who is the reigning European under-23 champion, held the previous national best with a throw of 67.63 metres in London last July.
But he produced an effort of 68.24m in the fourth round of throws to finish third and provide the British highlight of the event, showing the form that could take him a long way at London 2012.
Germany's two-times world champion Robert Harting took first place with a throw of 70.31, ahead of Poland's Olympic silver medallist Piotr Malachowski, who had four throws of 68m, including a best of 68.94.
Okoye's British team-mates Abdul Buhari and Brett Morse finished in ninth and 11th, after respective best efforts of 61.22 and 59.72, both well below their personal bests.
The Scottish hammer thrower Mark Dry, who has already achieved the Olympic B qualification standard, fell just short of his personal best in finishing fifth in his event with a best of 73.88. His fellow British thrower Alex Smith was 10th with 71.68.
Sophie Hitchon, who has already set the A Olympic standard, finished fourth in the women's hammer with 70.09, while Jade Nicholls and Eden Francis were 11th and 12th in the discus with throws of 56.93 and 56.54.
London 2012 torch relay starts in Britain - Assam Tribune
LANDS END (UK), May 19 (AFP): Sailor Ben Ainslie was the first torchbearer as the Olympic flame began its 70-day journey around Britain and Ireland today ahead of the 2012 London Games.
The flame arrived in Britain from Greece yesterday and was flown to Lands End, the southwesterly tip of England, today by a Royal Navy helicopter before it was used to light the torch for the start of the 8,000 mile (12,875-kilometre) relay.
Ainslie, who has won gold medals in sailing at the last three Olympics, then walked just 300 metres, allowing some of the 3,500 spectators lining the route in the morning sunshine to touch the gold-coloured torch.
The yachtsman, wearing the number 001 on his T-shirt as the first torchbearer, then passed on the torch to 18-year-old Anastassia Swallow, a surfer who is hoping that her sport will one day become an Olympic discipline.
Ainslie, who on Friday won a sixth world title in the Finn class as he prepares for an attempt to win a fourth Olympic gold, said it had been a special moment for him to start the relay in his home county of Cornwall.
It was pretty emotional, so much effort has gone into getting the Olympics in London and it means so much to everyone involved, he said.
On its first day, the torch will be carried through Cornwall to the city of Plymouth.
Over the next 10 weeks, 8,000 people will carry the torch as it makes its way around the United Kingdom and heads for the Olympic Stadium in east London for the opening ceremony on July 27.
It will travel through 1,019 cities, towns and villages and visit landmarks such as Stonehenge.
From June 3-7, it will go to Northern Ireland and then the Republic of Ireland the only country outside the United Kingdom on the torch route.
No overseas legs of the relay have been planned this year after those before the 2008 Beijing Games was hit by protests against China.
The flame was lit in Ancient Olympia in Greece on May 10 and was handed over to the British delegation in Athens in a rain-blighted ceremony on Thursday.
It was flown to Britain encased in a special lantern on board a British Airways plane renamed The Firefly for the occasion, accompanied by football star David Beckham and Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
Beckham had the honour of lighting the first torch at the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall on Friday.
In contrast to the shoestring operation when Britain last hosted the Olympics in 1948, this years relay is a big-budget affair, with parties and public events at each of its stops.
London 2012: Pictures of the start of the Olympic Torch relay - london24.com
Torchbearer Ben Ainslie holds the Olympic Torch and waves to the crowd before he begins the first leg between Land's End and Sennon.
Sarah Shaffi, Olympics editor (news)
Saturday, May 19, 2012
11:50 AM
The Olympic Flame will travel 136 miles today, on the first leg of a 70-day tour of Britain.
The Olympic Torch relay started shortly after 7am this morning, when the Flame arrived at Land’s End from RNAS Culdrose in a Search and Rescue helicopter sporting a specially painted gold blade.
Lieutenant Commander Richard Full, a member of the Royal Navy Search and Rescue Squad, walked the Flame from the helicopter to the Land’s End signpost.
Three-times Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie was the first torchbearer, and he passed the Flame to Anastassia Swallow from St Ives. In total there are 139 torchbearers on the first day of the relay.
In addition to being carried, the Flame will also be taken in a Rainforest Balloon at the Eden Project.
Today the Flame will be carried through communities including Penzance, Helston, Falmouth, Truro, Newquay and Bodmin, ahead of arriving in Plymouth at 8.52pm.
When it gets to Plymouth Hoe the Flame will be used to light a cauldron to mark the culmination of the day’s festivities.
Seb Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: “The start of the Olympic Torch relay is the beginning of an exciting summer of sport across the UK.
“A huge thank you to all those who have been involved in the planning process who have helped the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay come to life. Everyone has played their part in giving thousands of inspirational people and hundreds of communities their moment to shine.”
Torchbearers during the day include Connor Mcarthur, 13, from Plymouth, who helps the families of service children through Her Majesty’s Schools (HMS) Heroes; George Phillips, 87, from Penzance, who also carried the Flame in the 1948 Torch relay; and Samantha Woon, 21, from Cornwall,who has used her difficulties with her own sight to fundraise for the blind.
Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport, said: “It’s incredibly exciting that the Olympic Flame’s arrived and is now starting its momentous journey right around the country. I hope as many people as possible get out to see it and cheer on their local torchbearers.”
The Olympic Flame will travel around 8,000 miles over 70 days before arriving in the Olympic Stadium on July 27 for the opening ceremony of the Games.
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London 2012: Plane which will carry Olympic Flame to Britain unveiled
The plane which will carry the Olympic Flame from Greece to Britain has been unveiled.
Police in new appeal over fatal crash - This is Southampton
Police in new appeal over fatal crash
1:58pm Saturday 19th May 2012 in News
POLICE are continuing to appeal for witnesses to a fatal head-on crash in Romsey in which a woman from the town died.
A silver Vauxhall Combo was travelling towards Romsey town centre on the A3090 bypass when it was in collision with a white Volvo tipper lorry.
A 57-year-old woman, who was travelling in the back of the Vauxhall, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Vauxhall driver, a 67-year-old man, was taken to Southampton General Hospital with minor injuries and discharged the same night.
The driver of the lorry, a 38-year-old man from Portsmouth was uninjured.
The road was closed for nearly four hours for an investigation..
Witnesses to the collision, on Thursday around 2.20pm, or anyone who saw either vehicle just prior to the crash, are asked to contact Sergeant Andy Lynch of the Road Death Investigation Team at Eastleigh on 101, quoting operation Elmshurst.
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