Corfe Castle at sunrise
The 2012 Olympic sailing events are being held in Weymouth and Portland. They started on 29th July and finished on 11th August.
The Paralympic sailing will also be held here from 1st – 6th September.
Bronze for Rickham and Birrell
Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell won bronze in the SKUD two-person keelboat.
“I’m really pleased to be taking a medal home with me. It will be nice to show the friends and family what a Paralympic medal looks like,” said Birrell.
Bronze for Darren Kenny
Darren Kenny won a bronze medal in Velodrome in the Men’s Individual C3 Pursuit with a world record time of 3:35.257.
Dorset 2012 Paralympians
Will Bayley from Poole – Paralympic table tennis
Darren Kenny fromVerwood – Paralympic cycling
John Robertson from Portland – Sonar three person keelboat class
Hannah Stodel from Portland – Sonar three person keelboat class
Steve Thomas from Portland – Sonar three person keelboat class
Alex Rickham from Portland – Skud-18 two-person keelboat
Niki Birrell from Portland – Skud-18 two-person keelboat
Helena Lucas from Portland – 2.4mR single-handed keelboat class
Bethy Woodward from Ringwood – Paralympic 400m
Silver for Patience and Bithell
Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell won silver in the men’s 470 class in Weymouth.
They went into the medal race knowing that they would take at least a silver but to win gold they would have had to beat the double world champions, Australia, by two places and they couldn’t quite make it.
They approached the first mark in first place with Australia in third but on the first downwind leg the Australians gained the lead in the light breezes, and Britain slipped back to third. Their gold medal hopes were finally over when they were given a penalty turn for rocking too much in the light breeze on the final downwind leg.
The pair were justly happy with their achievement though and somersaulted into the water before heading over to the Nothe where thousands of spectators were gathered.
“It’s not gold but we’re young boys and we’ll be back,” said Patience.
Silver for Nick Dempsey
Nick Dempsey won a silver medal for Team GB in the RS:x windsurfing in Weymouth.
He had promised his three-year-old son Thomas that he would bring him home a medal and he managed to keep that promise.
On crossing the finish line, Dempsey leapt into Weymouth Bay and swam over to his family on the Nothe peninsula, much to the delight of the crowd.
Thomas asked him “Have you finished work now?”
Dempsey was then carried to the shore on his board by Team GB mates.
Silver for Andrew Simpson
Defending Olympic champions Andrew Simpson and Iain Percy won silver in the Star class in Weymouth.
They had sailed exceptionally and entered the final race with an eight-point lead over Brazil’s Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada.
Sweden however, were the team that finally denied them a gold medal.
They needed to finish sixth or higher to beat the Swedes but they suffered on the final downwind and moved from fourth place to finish in seventh.
Gold for Peter Wilson
Shooter Peter Wilson won gold in the double trap and gives Britain their first Olympic shooting medal for 12 years.
He finished the competition two shots clear of Sweden’s Hakan Dahlby with a score of 188.
Having started the event as world record holder and world number two, he was expected to perform well and he certainly didn’t disappoint.
Wilson sank to his knees and put his head in his hands after his achievement.
Silver for William Fox-Pitt
William Fox-Pitt has helped the Team GB eventers win silver at Greenwich Park.
The Stuminster Newton based equestrian star produced a clear show jumping round to cement the team’s silver medal position, which they had taken during the cross-country.
Fox-Pitt and his horse Lionheart also achieved a personal best in the dressage.
The Eventing team results are as follows: 1 Germany 124.70 pts, 2 Great Britain 130.20, 3 Sweden 131.40
Dorset Olympians:
Lucy Macgregor from Poole – Match Race sailing
Kate Macgregor from Poole – Match Race sailing
Annie Lush from Poole – Match Race sailing
Andrew Simpson from Sherborne – Star class sailing
William Fox-Pitt from Hinton, near Sturminster Newton – Eventing
Zara Dampney from Ferndown – Women’s beach volleyball
Dan Hunter from Poole – Men’s indoor volleyball
Lucy Wicks from Poole – Women’s indoor volleyball
John Pearce from Bournemouth – Men’s handball
Peter Wilson from Sherborne – Double trap shooting
Live Site
Watch the action for free on the big screen at Weymouth beach
Olympic Torch
Ahead of the games, Dorset saw the Olympic Torch pass through the area as it travelled around the UK. The whole70-day tour took in more than 1,000 different locations, and 47 of these were in Dorset. The torch started the tour of the county in Shaftesbury on 12th July and left on 14th July from Christchurch.
The torch route:
12th July: Shaftesbury, Fontmell Magna, Iwerne Minster, Stourpaine, Blandford, Winterborne Whitechurch, Milborne St Andrew, Puddletown, Dorchester, Winterbourne Abbas, Bridport, Chideock, Lyme Regis, Burton Bradstock, Abbotsbury, Portesham, Chickerell, Wyke Regis, Osprey Quay, Portland, Weymouth (where it will stay overnight).
13th July: Portland (Portland Bill, Southwell, Weston, Easton, Fortuneswell), Weymouth, Preston, Osmington, Winfrith Newburgh, Durdle Door, Wool, Corfe Castle, Swanage, Stoborough, Wareham, Sandford, Lytchett Minster, Upton, Hamworthy, Poole, Bournemouth (where it will stay overnight).
14th July: Bournemouth, Christchurch
A spokesperson for North Dorset District Council said the torch will ” provide everyone who lives or works along the route an opportunity to feel that they are part of the build-up to this fantastic, once in a lifetime event.”
Beach celebrations in Weymouth and Bournemouth.
Weymouth celebrations
A free event was held on Weymouth Beach on 12th July to welcome the arrival of the Olympic Flame. Rapper Wretch 32 was the headline act.
Bournemouth celebrations
A free show was held on 13th July at Bournemouth Pier for 10,000 people which culminated in the arrival of the Olympic Flame. There were performances from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Avant Garde and Pavillion Dance.
Maritime Mix
Part of the celebrations include more than 80 inspirational events for Maritime Mix – London 2012 Cultural Olympiad by the Sea.
