Usain Bolt’s stunning triple gold medal haul at the 2008 Beijing Olympics has been crowned the ultimate Olympic moment, a new poll reveals.
The lightning-fast sprinter didn’t just nab the top spot in the men’s 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay; he smashed world records leaving fans around the globe gobsmacked.
A survey of 2,000 Brits found the top 20 most jaw-dropping Olympic memories from the sports extravaganza with Mo Farah bagging a double gold on UK soil in 2012 making the cut.
Other memorable moments included Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards making his mark as Britain’s first Olympic ski-jumper in ’88, Tom Daley’s dive to gold in 2020, and Michael Phelps’ whopping eight-gold-medal win at the 2008 Athens games.
The study showed that a 64% of those quizzed are gearing up to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics on the box, with athletics (55%), swimming (38%) and footie (31%) being the top picks to tune into.
Catherine O’Kelly, a spokesperson for British Gas Energy – who are big-time backers of Team GB and ParalympicsGB and who commissioned the research – is buzzing for the summer sports season and especially for Paris 2024.
She said: “The Games always bring great moments to be remembered, and people remember where they were to witness them.”
She also highlighted the unifying power of the Games and their appeal as a collective viewing spectacle: “They are also a great opportunity to get people together and watch something where there’s lots going on and something for everyone to enjoy. This summer is a really exciting moment for sport and Paris 2024 is set to be a huge part of that.”
The study showed that a solid 37% of viewers tune in to cheer on Team GB, while 36% are there for the diverse range of events. Even those not typically into sports will be watching, with 29% saying they’ll check out the Olympics when it’s on.
A good chunk (34%) love seeing countries from around the globe go head-to-head, and another 34% are keen on catching sports that usually don’t get much airtime.
When it comes to watching the action, a whopping 83% of telly fans will be doing so from their sofas, while some plan to enjoy the games at a mate or family member’s place or down the local (both 17%). Interestingly, 20% of die-hard Olympic fans will only flick on the box for Team GB’s performances.
With this year’s ‘summer of sport’ upon us, 33% reckon they’ll be camped out in front of the telly more than usual during the warmer months, racking up an average of twelve and a half hours a week that’s like sitting through eight footie matches on the trot, plus a bit of extra time!
Despite the usual dip in energy usage during the summer months, a whopping 32% of Brits are bracing themselves to be extra mindful about their power consumption with the Paris 2024 Olympics on the horizon.
British Gas Energy is launching its PeakSave scheme, tempting customers with half-price electricity on Sundays throughout the summer season. They’re even throwing in extended hours and a couple of Saturdays when major sports events are happening.
O’Kelly chimed in, “There is a lot of sport to be watched this summer and we’re excited to be part of that through our partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB. We hope people enjoy their weekends of sport, and that our electricity offer adds to that excitement for those customers involved.”
THE 20 BEST OLYMPIC GAMES MOMENTS ACCORDING TO BRITS
- Usain Bolt first triple gold, Beijing 2008
- Mo Farah winning double gold medals, London 2012
- Super Saturday, London 2012
- Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards competing for Team GB, Winter 1988
- Sir Steven Redgrave’s fifth gold, Sydney 2000
- Daley Thompson decathlon win, Los Angeles 1984
- Jessica Ennis wins gold, London 2012
- Chris Hoy becoming the first Briton to win three golds at a single Olympic Games, Beijing 2008
- Tom Daley wins gold, Tokyo 2020
- Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympic Games, Berlin 1936
- Kelly Holmes being the first Briton to win 800m in 24 years, Athens 2004
- Linford Christie 100m win, Barcelona 1992
- Muhammad Ali’s Lighting of the Torch, Atlanta 1996
- Michael Phelps’ 8 Gold Medals, Beijing 2008
- Mary Peters wins gold, Munich 1972
- Cassius Clay wins gold, Rome 1960
- Nicola Adams wins gold, London 2012
- Miracle on Ice, Moscow 1980
- Derek Redmond’s Fatherly Support, Barcelona 1992
- GB winning gold in hockey, Seoul 1988