Medals ?

I have yet to see a medal close up. I’ve been close on two occasions.

The first time was at the Medal Ceremony for the Men’s 62kg Weightlifting at the Excel . A theatrical  occasion with colour and pageantry as the three medallist paraded in with the officials and medal carriers all to the music of Chariots of Fire – almost on a par with a royal coronation or  wedding in microcosm  – underlining the significance of the event. The Ceremony was carried out with military precision, wonderful to behold.

Me & Jude Monye 4 by 400 Gold Medallist Sydney 2000

The second time was when I was asked to show Jude Monye around the Village. Jude was a member of the Silver medal winning from Nigeria's Men’s 4 by 400 relay team in Sydney – twelve years ago. They have just been awarded the Gold following the disqualification of the USA team for drug offences, sadly only three of the four are around as one has died. So there's me with a Gold medallist!

I know the medals are there as many of Village's apartments and the offices of some countries proudly display  how many medallists they have:

Seaside 1 Home to China and Korea

Seaside 2

Japan's Office

Seaside 3