Murray Mixes Gold, Silver; London Gets Busy; British Media Praise Bolt

Murray Mixes Gold, Silver Before IOC Crowd

Mixed doubles tennis serves up its first Olympic medals in 88 years with gold going to top-seeded Belarus and silver to Team GB.

Just hours after striking singles gold over Roger Federer in straight sets, Andy Murray returned to Centre Court looking for more, this time with partner Laura Robson in tow.

British Olympic Association chair Colin Moynihan and IOC member Craig Reedie – a Scotsman like Murray – joined in the wave from their Royal Box seats as Britain raced out to a one-set lead.

World no. 1 woman Victoria Azarenka and teammate Max Mirnyi, himself a top-ranked doubles player, then rallied to force a tiebreaker, edging out the Brits in a nailbiter 10-8.

So the Belarussians take over the title from USA’s Hazel Wightman and R. Norris Williams, who won the last Olympic mixed doubles tournament way back at Paris 1924.

Williams sisters Serena and Venus, however, keep their women’s doubles crown after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic earlier Sunday.

IOC president Jacques Rogge and LOCOG chair Sebastian Coe arrived in time to see the Americans win their third gold together, filing into a Royal Box already filled with IOC members, federation chiefs and other Games dignitaries.

Murray versus Federer was clearly the main event, with none of the empty seats (accredited or otherwise) that made headlines this past week and served as yet another reminder that these were not the Championships at Wimbledon.

London Gets Busy

New figures show that shopping and tourism is rising in central London after an initial Games-time slump.

Businesses in the city expressed concerns that Londoners and tourists were put off coming into the capital due to transportation problems.

Compounding business woes, Londoners opted to work from home, further cutting into bottom lines.

However new figures released on Sunday by ‘Heart of London’, a trade representing London business, show that between July 30 to August 2, footfall was up 11.6 percent compared to the previous week and 16.2 percent relative to the same week in 2011.

London mayor Boris Johnson said that record figures were now travelling on public transportation in London.

A total of 4.31 million journeys were taken on Thursday throughout London’s public transportation network.

"This jaw-dropping weekend of outstanding sporting success for Team GB has seen many hundreds of thousands of people travelling to 2012 venues and crowds several deep lining the streets to cheer on Triathlon and Marathon competitors" he said.

"Now London's transport network is continuing to put in some record-breaking performances of its own as it moves people into and across the city."

Travel Report

With Olympic Football returning to Wembley Stadium on Monday, heavy congestion is expected in the surrounding areas of northwest London.

Transport for London say the Docklands Light Rail, Central and Jubilee lines will be incredibly busy throughout the day and that the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines will be busy before 5:00 P.M. and after 7:30 P.M. between central London and Wembley.

Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

LOCOG says more than 5 million spectators have entered their venues – including 1 million who have visited Olympic Park.

Spectators returning from athletics events tell Around the Rings they waited for at least 15 minutes for a train.

Media Watch

Despite Andy Murray’s gold medal win at Wimbledon, the British newspapers focus on Usain Bolt retaining his 100m title.

The Monday newspapers fill their front pages with pictures of the Jamaican, who ran the 100m in an Olympic record of 9.63 seconds.

The Guardian led with the headline ‘9.63 BREATHTAKING SECONDS’ while the Daily Mail exclaimed that Bolt was ‘UNSTOPPABLE!’.

The Times of London has the photo of Bolt crossing the line filling the entire space of the page simply with the words ‘ROCKET MAN’ above his head.

Monday’s Medal Events

Athletics – Women’s Shot Put, Men’s 400m Hurdles, Women’s 3000m Steeplechase, Men’s 400m, Women’s Pole Vault – Olympic Stadium

Track Cycling – Men’s Sprint – Velodrome

Equestrian – Team Jumping – Greenwich Park

Artistic Gymnastics – Men’s Rings, Women’s Uneven Bars, Men’s Vault – North Greenwich Arena

Sailing – Women’s Laser Radial, Men’s Laser – Weymouth and Portland

Shooting – Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions, Men’s Trap – Royal Artillery Barracks

Weightlifting – Men’s 105kg – ExCeL

Wrestling – Men’s 60kg Greco-Roman, Men’s 84kg Greco-Roman, Men’s 120kg Greco-Roman

Reported by Matthew Grayson and Christian Radnedge

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