Photo: Eisele/Giubilo/ZimmerFans on Henman Hill
Not Murray Mound?
Wimbledon’s Henman Hill has been renamed ‘Medal Mountain’ by one British broadcaster after scenes of euphoria on Sunday. British fans were still on a high after the host nation won six gold medals alone on Saturday, and a bevy of Union Jacks dominated the traditional fan-zone, as hundreds watched Andy Murray win a 16th gold medal for Great Britain.
Britain’s last gold medallist
For the London Games in 1908, the decision was made to actually hold two Olympic Tennis Events, one indoor at the covered wooden courts at Queen’s Club in May, and the other two months later at Wimbledon, at the club’s old site at Worple Road.
Britain’s Major Josiah Ritchie had bowed out in the semifinals to favourite and twice Wimbledon champion Arthur Gore two months earlier under cover, but he went one step further at the All England Club to claim the gold medal.
Famous faces
Several heads of state were among the 15,000 people watching the last day of Olympic action on Centre Court on Sunday.
The President of Switzerland, Mrs Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, watched her country’s gold medal hope Roger Federer win silver, and was joined by Dr Igor Luksic, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dr Nicholas Liverpool, the President of Dominica, Valdis Dombrovskis, the Prime Minister of Latvia, Sir Frederick Ballantyne, the Governor General of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.
Sebastian Coe, the Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee and a former British athlete, watched as Andy Murray joined him as an Olympic gold medallist. Also there was Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee and several other prominent IOC members.
From the British government was Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, and the British Royal Family were represented by the Duke of Kent and the Duchess of Gloucester, regular visitors to The All England Club during the Wimbledon Championships.
Several heads of other sports federations also watched the matches, including and, perhaps taking notes for four years’ time, Chairman of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee Carlos Nuzman.