By Gil LeBreton
glebreton@star-telegram.com
LONDON -- With apologies to Mr. Churchill, this was their funnest hour.
That's the way the British will remember it, no doubt.
As the clock neared 10 p.m., London time, on Saturday, the Olympic Stadium still shook with the roars of what had just transpired:
First, Britain's Jessica Ennis raced to the finish line in the 800 meters to clinch the gold medal after two days of the women's heptathlon.
Twenty minutes later, Brit Greg Rutherford took his final leap to capture the men's long jump.
And as the memorable hour came to a conclusion, the roars of 80,000 rained down upon Mo Farah -- a Somalian by birth, but a resident of Great Britain since he was 8 years old -- as he and his American training partner, Galen Rupp, sprinted for the finish line and stunningly interrupted the African stranglehold on the 10,000 meters.
Three gold medals for the host nation in 60 minutes.
Three ebullient victory laps for Ennis, Rutherford and Farah, all proudly waving (and sometimes wearing) the Union Jack.
And as their flag was raised during Ennis' medal ceremony, there were the proud voices of 80,000 -- Brits and wanna-be-Brits -- singing along to
God Save the Queen.
And Rupp, a product of Oregon, the emerald Oz of American distance running, found himself right in the middle of it with the silver medal and his own stake of Olympic history.
On a night when so many London hearts were already thumping, Farah and Rupp gave them -- and Americans watching -- a 10,000 meters to remember.
The finals field included 14 runners from African nations. Over the past six Olympic Games, African runners have won all six 10,000 meters finals and taken home 17 of the 18 medals.
Farah, the reigning world champ in the 5,000 meters, and U.S. trials winner Rupp were far from being considered longshots coming into the race. But the combined tactical power of the Africans, throwing in surges, taking turns in the lead, was supposed to wear down any would-be challengers.
Coach and former running great Alberto Salazar, however, had a plan.
"The race plan for Mo and Galen was we felt they could out-sprint anybody in the race," said Salazar, who coaches both runners in Oregon, "and that we didn't care if it was a fast pace or slow pace. They weren't going to try to win it until the last 400, maybe even 200 meters.
"I'll be honest, I thought we were going to medal. And I thought we were going to get one-two. It's not something I was publicizing, but I was sure we would get two medals."
The tactical pace meant that with five laps to go, 20 runners were still clustered at the front of the pack. Surges by Kenya's Moses Masai and the two Bekeles from Ethiopia, Tariku and Kenenisa, failed to produce the customary effect.
"That was always my aim," Farah said. "To close the gaps early on, work together and work my way through. And that's what we did.
"With two or three laps left, I just came to the front."
Farah's move into the lead was met with the most thunderous roar of the day. London's
Daily Telegraph reported that earlier in the evening, the noise level as Ennis crossed the finish line was 110 decibels, the equivalent of standing beside a churning helicopter.
Rupp caught Tariku Bekele down the stretch. But nobody caught Farah.
Since Billy Mills won the 10,000 meters gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 1964, the best Olympic finish by an American in the event was Frank Shorter's fifth place in 1972.
"It's still a little weird, seeing Great Britain and the United States on the victory stand in the 10,000," Rupp admitted. "I'm still on cloud nine.
"This is something that we've been talking about, me and Alberto, for 10 years now, since I was a freshman in high school.
"And to be one-two with my training partner, one of my best friends, I just couldn't be more thankful for the way this race went."
As each medals ceremony begins at the London Games, the music that accompanies the winners' march to the podium is the theme from
Chariots of Fire, the Oscar-winning British film about two runners and the 1924 Olympics.
After Saturday's heroics, it might be time to commission the sequel.
Gil LeBreton, 817-390-7697Twitter: @gilebreton
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