Empire strikes back

After breaking the long drought with a very British hat trick on Saturday night the fans were singing Rule,Britannia. Others were belting out God Save The Queen. David Bowies song Heroes was replayed,and replayed,and replayed.

Ennis win in the 800 metres,the last of her seven events in the heptathlon on Saturday night,was like a coronation. She took two victory laps of the main,80,000-seat stadium in London.

Red-white-and-blue Union flags waving everywhere.

Greg Rutherford chimed in with an unexpected victory in the long jump about 20 minutes later and Somali-born Mo Farah won the 10,000 metres inside the hour. Jolly good show,Britain.

Ennis kicked it all off in the very first event on the track on Friday,winning the 100-metre hurdles in the fastest time ever in a heptathlon. She was under enormous pressure,considered Britains best shot at a track and field gold medal in London. She never wilted in seven disciplines across 36 hours.

Im just still in shock, said Ennis,the daughter of Jamaican and English parents who grew up in the industrial city of Sheffield. Its been a brilliant couple of days. You know,Ive come into this competition with a lot of pressure. Everyone expected me to win the gold medal before Id even stepped on the track,so to have come here in one piece and to have delivered and completed the whole heptathlon and won was just a dream come true really.

I just cant believe Ive done it, she said. All that pressure is off me now. Its so nice.

Free for all

Some of Farahs family ran into the arena to celebrate with him when he won,showing no reservations or restraint. And nobody intervened. In fact,fans,friends,people hed never met were queuing to congratulate him.

If it wasnt for the crowd I dont think that would happen, Farah said. They give you that lift,that boost. Its just incredible. A lot of people thought having the Olympics in London was a lot of pressure but youve just got to use the crowd. I think every single one of us who won a gold medal used the crowd.

Delivery worries

Farahs wife Tania,who is seven months pregnant,was desperately trying to keep her emotions in check. Tania had earlier joked that being at the stadium at all was probably a risk. The raucous atmosphere,she suggested,could send her into labour early. She said shed even checked that there would be doctors on hand at the stadium.

Most Olympics have major moments. Britains Jonathan Edwards,an Olympic triple jump champion in 2000,recalled the Magic Monday at Sydney a dozen years ago,when Australias Cathy Freeman was among a host of athletes who won gold on the same evening. Ennis inspired Britains Super Saturday. Britain also won cycling gold in the womens team pursuit and won two rowing gold medals in the mens four and womens lightweight double sculls.

To see a night like that Jess Ennis set up to be the Golden Girl, Mo the Golden Guy, Greg Rutherford to come from almost nowhere to win a gold medal. Its just staggering. You need a new lexicon,actually. You run out of words to describe that, Edwards said.

Britains great day started early. British rowers were the stars at Eton Dorney on Saturday morning,doubling their gold-medal haul on the final day of the Olympic regatta with victories by the mens four and the lightweight womens double sculls.

In the only track cycling final of the day,the British womens pursuit team shattered its own world record for the second time while beating the United States to win gold. The trio of Dani King,Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell delivered the home nation its fourth track cycling gold medal in five events.

Ainslies feat

Britains Ben Ainslie became the most successful Olympic sailor on Sunday,adding a fourth gold to his medal collection,and is now set to change tack and concentrate on winning yachtings blue riband event,the Americas Cup. Ainslie won gold in the single-handed Finn class,and now has a four Olympic gold medals and one silver,breaking a record that has stood since 1960.

He then indicated he would not try for a sixth Olympic medal,saying it could not get any better than sealing the record on home waters.